Vancouver covid testing locations...

[NavyCruiser]

Our group of 30 from 4 diff US states are flying into & visiting Vancouver 3 days before our cruise in June.

Staying in hotel 10 blocks from Vancouver cruise port.  

So where do us Americans go to take covid test (2 days?  Antigen?) before boarding cruise ship? 

Thanks,

[Joseph2017China]

If you google it, you will find a number of places, such as at Pan Pacific hotel etc

 

[martincath]

Have a shufty at the official list of testing locations - but don't book anything expensive yet, as rules have been changing a lot recently!

 

Since cruising has restarted locally, confirmation from experience is out there that using an online proctoring service and your own test brought from home is acceptable - as long as your hotel has internet you can spend a few minutes in the comfort of your room doing the test while observed rather than going to queue up somewhere in-person with who knows how many other randos...

 

Going rate for Canada-based proctoring services seems to be about $20, which is a massive discount over even the cheapest physical test location given you can buy antigen tests in Costco before you come! Given that you can also test 24/7, I've yet to hear of anyone having trouble finding a proctored slot at short notice - whereas appointment at physical clinics do fill up, they mostly seem to be operating a single shift of 9-5ish (even clinics have staffing issues these days!)

[Italy52]

Here is a link to a company that I had been communicating with a while back.  Answered all my questions in a timely manner.  If our pre-cruise plans had not changed, I would have used them for our Rapid Antigen test.  Not cheap, but it might be an alternative if you need one.

 

https://fast-test.ca/locations/

[NavyCruiser]

Wow.

Just called Canada Place cruise terminal & few hotels nearby, since there's no CVS nor Walgreens in Vancouver, they all referred to a few local testing sites, costs over $100 CAD, with CVM, www.covid-medical.ca, being lowest at $79 CAD (approx $62 USD).

So Emed's online proctored kits, at $25 each, looks like the best way to go, 

https://www.emed.com/products/covid-at-home-testkit-six-pack?hsLang=en#

 

Anyone has better suggestions...?

[rotoal]

I found two place that appear to be across the street from one another - https://www.empowerclinics.com/covid-19-testing/ is at 900 Canada Place and charges $130 CDN for a rapid antigen test - https://pcrtestvancouver.ca/ is at 404-999 Canada Place and charges $85 CDN for the same test, and also has reservations open through at least June.

 

Does anyone have any experience with these two places?   I'm not sure how many emed tests I want to be carrying around for 3 of us, I will have them just in case they are needed.

 

Since we are on vacation, we don't really want to spend too much of one of our two vacation days in Vancouver running around trying to save a few dollars in an unfamiliar part of the city.

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

Following this thread as I need to do this too in Vancouver.

[Northern Aurora]

There is a CVM testing site actually at the Vancouver located essentially “under” the Fairmont Airport hotel.  While you can make reservations they also accept walk up clients.

[Kellie in Texas]

@NavyCruiserI just ordered the 6-pack of the emed tests from the link you posted.  I was trying earlier today to order off RCCL's website; they use Optum for people to order tests for use at home before a cruise or before a flight.  However, the Optum site looked like it was down for awhile this afternoon. I compared the photo of the emed test boxes from their website with the name of the test that RCCL sells off their website ... they are exactly the same.  Ordering directly from emed was about $50 cheaper than ordering through RCCL.  Not including the $22 FedEx charge for overnight delivery.  We are one month out, so I'm glad to have this chore done!  

[martincath]

While it doesn't help OP given their 3 day pre-cruise stay, for folks coming in just a day or two beforehand remember that you can use a test taken at home within the last 2 days/72 hours depending on type... so if there's still a free clinic near you with PCR testing you have a full 72 hr validity before boarding a ship up here, and since we no longer need tests to fly into Canada you don't even have to struggle to find a Rapid PCR test rather than the day or two 'send samples off to a lab' versions.

 

All-in-all though, bringing some cheap tests from home and bookmarking at least a couple of online proctoring services is going to be your cheapest and most convenient way if your timing requires a test here in Vancouver.

[Live in the moment]

On 5/4/2022 at 5:40 PM, martincath said:

While it doesn't help OP given their 3 day pre-cruise stay, for folks coming in just a day or two beforehand remember that you can use a test taken at home within the last 2 days/72 hours depending on type... so if there's still a free clinic near you with PCR testing you have a full 72 hr validity before boarding a ship up here, and since we no longer need tests to fly into Canada you don't even have to struggle to find a Rapid PCR test rather than the day or two 'send samples off to a lab' versions.

 

All-in-all though, bringing some cheap tests from home and bookmarking at least a couple of online proctoring services is going to be your cheapest and most convenient way if your timing requires a test here in Vancouver.

Hi, Not sure I understand - if we bring the tests from home - we have to find someone to watch  us do them? Or when you say proctoring - have that as a back up in case the tests you bring don't work? I've never done it on my own - just use CVS in the states before trips so far.

 

[Kellie in Texas]

@Live in the momentthe proctored tests are done online, either with a laptop or a phone that has a camera. You have to have internet access.  I ordered some of the eMed test kits to take with us for the purpose of testing when we get off the ship before we fly home.  You actually log in to the eMed website and follow the instructions while a live proctor watches you do the swab, then you stay online with the camera on for the 15 minutes or so until the results are in.  Then you get an email with your test results. 

[martincath]

3 hours ago, Live in the moment said:

Hi, Not sure I understand - if we bring the tests from home - we have to find someone to watch  us do them? Or when you say proctoring - have that as a back up in case the tests you bring don't work? I've never done it on my own - just use CVS in the states before trips so far.

Basically what Kellie already said above in terms of the mechanics - proctored tests need observed not just by anyone, but by someone who is officially designated as a 'trusted observer' and able to issue a confirmation that is acceptable to Canadian gov't standards. Any official proctoring service based in the country you're boarding in should work - and based on reports already seen here, it seems that US services are perfectly acceptable for boarding here in Canada too. There are some (more expensive) 'sell you the kits and include the observation' services, but there are also folks who literally just observe you take your own test that seem to be cheaper, especially if you have free test kits available to you.

 

But if you are coming up for only a day or two pre-cruise, you should be able to do what you're already familiar with - just ensure that the test you book at CVS, Walgreens etc. is timed so that it's valid at embarkation (2 days before for Antigen, 72hrs before for Molecular e.g. PCR tests).