Just not sure what to do!

[ChicagoCubsFan]

We are suppose to be taking a 4 day cruise out of Miami in October.  Now that Royal will be requiring Covid tests for 3 and 4 days cruises I am not sure what to do.  Not sure where to get tested at home or in Miami.  Both my husband and I are fully vaccinated and the thought of jumping thru hoops to get tested,  just doesn’t seem worth it.  Is anyone out there torn on what to do?

[lazydayz]

We were on the fence.  But with free COVID tests available at CVS that can be scheduled up to two weeks in advance, we are going for it.  You could get a rapid test in Miami just before the cruise.  Not that much of a hassle.  

[smokeybandit]

Honestly, just wait. October is a long ways away. 

[ReneeFLL]

8 minutes ago, lazydayz said:

We were on the fence.  But with free COVID tests available at CVS that can be scheduled up to two weeks in advance, we are going for it.  You could get a rapid test in Miami just before the cruise.  Not that much of a hassle.  

The tests at CVS aren’t free if it’s for travel unless you know something I don’t. Let me know if you have different info. 

[ReneeFLL]

17 minutes ago, ChicagoCubsFan said:

We are suppose to be taking a 4 day cruise out of Miami in October.  Now that Royal will be requiring Covid tests for 3 and 4 days cruises I am not sure what to do.  Not sure where to get tested at home or in Miami.  Both my husband and I are fully vaccinated and the thought of jumping thru hoops to get tested,  just doesn’t seem worth it.  Is anyone out there torn on what to do?

You can get tested at the port. It’s 136.00 pp. Things may change by then so this is as of today.

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by ReneeFLL

[ChicagoCubsFan]

It just kills me to have to pay another 272.00 just to take a 4 day cruise.  If it were a 7 day cruise it would be easier to swallow.

[lazydayz]

21 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

The tests at CVS aren’t free if it’s for travel unless you know something I don’t. Let me know if you have different info. 

Yes they are. Check for travel to protect others.  Lots of cruisers on CC have confirmed this as well. 

Edited August 10, 2021 by lazydayz

[AustinCruise]

They accept the quick antigen test. I would be tested before leaving my home state if it fits the schedule. Would have to fly and then test positive. 

[lazydayz]

1 minute ago, AustinCruise said:

They accept the quick antigen test. I would be tested before leaving my home state if it fits the schedule. Would have to fly and then test positive. 

 But you would be in Miami, so not so bad. LOL

[Junkhouse]

1 hour ago, lazydayz said:

Yes they are. Check for travel to protect others.  Lots of cruisers on CC have confirmed this as well. 

If you read the fine print on CVS you have to provide your insurance to them. They will then file with your insurance. Our insurance doesn’t cover travel testing so we would have to pay.

[firefly333]

I'm  ot sure I'd fly to miami just for a 4 day, though I did once for tampa in a JS to make it more worth while .. barely. Add in pre testing, I'd be a no. Not for 4 days.

[deliver42]

For travel they're free, but otherwise there is a charge if no insurance.

[Cruise a holic]

9 hours ago, ChicagoCubsFan said:

We are suppose to be taking a 4 day cruise out of Miami in October.  Now that Royal will be requiring Covid tests for 3 and 4 days cruises I am not sure what to do.  Not sure where to get tested at home or in Miami.  Both my husband and I are fully vaccinated and the thought of jumping thru hoops to get tested,  just doesn’t seem worth it.  Is anyone out there torn on what to do?

So easy to get a covid test now.  Many pharmacies do it as well as ugent care centers.  I think a great idea to help protect those who might be vulnerable-

[ChicagoCubsFan]

39 minutes ago, matj2000 said:

You are travelling from Missouri to Miami for a 4 day cruise?

We are staying two days prior to cruise and one day after cruise in Miami - so technically we will be there a week.

[Jimbo]

Try Walgreens, you can go there for a test just if you think you have Covid, No charge. Results same day or next day.

[not-enough-cruising]

10 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

The tests at CVS aren’t free if it’s for travel unless you know something I don’t. Let me know if you have different info. 

we have tested at CVS multiple times this summer for travel and never paid a penny. 

[not-enough-cruising]

7 hours ago, Junkhouse said:

If you read the fine print on CVS you have to provide your insurance to them. They will then file with your insurance. Our insurance doesn’t cover travel testing so we would have to pay.

Just tell them you are uninsured, the feds pick up the charge. 

[not-enough-cruising]

Royal has announced the acceptance of “at home” Covid testing as long as it is tele-health supervised. You can order the Abbott Binax Now AG test online, do the test from anywhere at anytime, and have results in 15 minutes. 

[Sunshine3601]

26 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Just tell them you are uninsured, the feds pick up the charge. 

So your advice is to lie, that's great advice😮

[not-enough-cruising]

4 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

So your advice is to lie, that's great advice😮

NOT a  lie. You are NEVER obligated to reveal your insurance status in the USA. 

Patients in my practice (myself included) flip flop back and forth all the time. Sometimes claiming on insurance is financially prudent, somethings paying cash is the better option. 

You, as a federal taxpayer, funded these programs, and you are 100% entitled to utilize them. 
 

Did you give them your insurance card when you got your COVID vaccine? 

Edited August 10, 2021 by not-enough-cruising

[Tromler]

I work for CVS Health/Aetna and it is covered 100% for CDC compliance for Travel...PCR or Rapid.  Full Stop.

 

No lie needed, answer the form truthfully and one of the first questions is are you testing for CDC compliance for travel....Yes or No.

 

Agree with others though, you can include your insurance info or not. either way its funded by the government.  If you put your health insurance info in, your insurance covers and they are reimbursed from government...if you dont put it in, the government picks up the tab...either way..the bank account its funded from is the same one.

[molly361]

1 hour ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Royal has announced the acceptance of “at home” Covid testing as long as it is tele-health supervised. You can order the Abbott Binax Now AG test online, do the test from anywhere at anytime, and have results in 15 minutes. 

I read somewhere that the wait for the zoom call to monitor those tests can be hours long

[Tapi]

9 hours ago, Junkhouse said:

If you read the fine print on CVS you have to provide your insurance to them. They will then file with your insurance. Our insurance doesn’t cover travel testing so we would have to pay.

When we got our tests for a trip we took in July, I saw the notation about insurance, so I called them and asked them if I was required to provide my health insurance information and they said NO, that if i provided it they would bill the insurance company, but that it wasn't a requirement to get tested.

 

I scheduled the test and just showed my ID. No question about insurance and no charge. I've done both at CVS and Walgreens. By the way, they said that it would take 48 hours to get the results but I got them that same afternoon. 

[Booking It]

We scheduled our PCR tests at Walgreens in the Chicago suburbs. It was a quick drive through test. The Walgreens system would only let you schedule three days in advance. We added our insurance information where it asked us to, but the test was free for us.

 

I believe they overnight the swabs to a lab somewhere. Our test was done at 10:00am on a Monday. We got our results on Tuesday at 8:00pm, which was just in time... our flight to Nassau left the next morning at 8:30, so I was sweating bullets waiting for that email! 

[Tapi]

12 hours ago, ChicagoCubsFan said:

Both my husband and I are fully vaccinated and the thought of jumping thru hoops to get tested,  just doesn’t seem worth it.  Is anyone out there torn on what to do?

We are taking a 3 night cruise the first week of September, and are on the same boat as you (pun totally intended). In my humble opinion, the test isn't that big of a hoop. We've already taken tests for several trips that we've taken during the last year and it's not a big deal. At Walgreens, they do free testing and all you do is make the appointment online, pull up to the pharmacy window in your car, you do the test yourself, slide it back to them, and go on your way. It takes all of 10 minutes.