COVID-19 Home Test

[xyankee]

I’m booked on the 5/14/22 cruise on the Caribbean Princess. I ordered and received the Abbott Binax NOW COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test. I know I need to preform the test 2 days prior to boarding the ship. I set up an account on their website but was curious if I need to set up an appointment on the day of the test. Instructions on the box stated not to open the box until instructed to do so and the box does not contain any other information.  Will they call me to set up an appointment or should I try to contact them?

[MustangGT]

You log in when you are ready to test and someone will come online to proctor the test.  You might have to wait a couple of minutes but no appointment is needed.  Worked well for us!

[xyankee]

Thank you MustangGT for the quick reply. 

[pompeii]

Worked great for us also last month prior to sailing out of LA.  We were connected to a rep within a few seconds of logging onto the website.  I did mine very early in the am shortly after I woke up, and my husband did his mid-morning, but neither of us had any wait time at all. It was a very simple process.  We had our email test results before we even logged off the session.   Highly recommend.

 

I didn't think either of the reps we had were hard to understand, but my husband had a hard time understanding some of the instructions.  So if you have trouble with accents or are hard of hearing, maybe have someone with better ears nearby.  You won't actually see the rep so there will be no visual clues to rely on.  Or watch one of the youtube videos beforehand so you know what to expect.  

[Thrak]

Did you do it on a laptop, a tablet, or a phone?  We don't take our laptops with us when we cruise. I gave in and bought the tests "just in case" and am wondering if this is easy to do on a phone.

[sunshineocean13]

We just did those tests yesterday.  No appointment is needed, but you do need to download the Navica app and create an account on that. We each had our own account. The rep my husband had was easy to understand, but mine was not. She did repeat things when asked, and tried her best to speak clearly. She actually skipped a step (putting the swab in the holes on the test kit), but since I've done the tests before that was easy to fix. I panicked when the connection failed right before the timer was to start, but a different person came online fairly quickly, having me repeat showing my ID, etc. before completing the proctoring.

 

Two people are ideal for doing this, because you need to hold the iPad/computer/phone up while having the test card flat. We used iPads, but I think a phone would work. A desktop computer would be challenging!

Edited April 16, 2022 by sunshineocean13
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[kiwimum]

We did the Binax proctored test for our Emerald TA, (sailed today) on our laptops.  We have used the tests for our previous 5 cruises and this was the fastest.   Before the proctor disconnected the call I had my report in my email.   Highly efficient, sometimes a little difficult to understand but always available 24/7.

Highly recommend.

[Buckeye10640]

2 hours ago, Thrak said:

Did you do it on a laptop, a tablet, or a phone?  We don't take our laptops with us when we cruise. I gave in and bought the tests "just in case" and am wondering if this is easy to do on a phone.

My husband did his on a newer iPhone. You do have to be able to prop the phone up so that you (when you actually swab), and then the test strip (as you wait for results), are in full view for the camera the entire time. 

Edited April 17, 2022 by Buckeye10640

[TnTom]

I have used Abbott's Emeds proctored tests for a couple of prior cruises, and they worked great! After I watch a couple of YouTube videos of folks taking those tests, I elected to use my laptop. The users in the videos had issues with the app switching cameras on their phones- causing some confusion.

 

I had an older relative go with me on the last cruise, and I was sitting beside her when she took her covid test. When she got confused during the process, the proctor allowed me to help her. They have always been patient.

 

It is such an easy process, I can't imagine doing it another way.