HAL needs to drop Covid Testing

[lpmpsail]

HAL needs to drop Covid Testing - just found out from Walgreens & CVS that I'll be paying at least $129/test for us to get their testing done since we have no symptoms or other reason to get the test, aside from travel.  Yeah, guess I could lie about symptoms so insurance would cover it but that just seems like karma waiting to strike.  The government has changed rules - it's time for the cruise ships to do the same.  Even though we're fully vaxxed & boosted twice, obviously we can still get Covid.  Something we probably will live with the rest of our lives, unfortunately.

[DaveOKC]

I agree and drop it NOW!

 

[mooseridge]

Yes Holland America, drop it now!!!!!

[NavyCruiser]

Agreed.

But in the meantime, if you still have those free tests from USPS, use the $20  https://rapidtestandtrace.com/ proctored testing at home service.  

Our group of 30 used them & worked out great, even while traveling in Vancouver.

[DaveOKC]

Just now, NavyCruiser said:

Agreed.

But in the meantime, if you still have those free tests from USPS, use the $20  https://rapidtestandtrace.com/ proctored testing at home service.  

Our group of 30 used them & worked out great, even while traveling in Vancouver.

I just ordered a new batch - will keep that in mind

 

[rothbury]

That $129 is each.  Just had some friends take an Alaska cruise.  Went to Walgreens for their test and it was $348 for both of them.

[Torquer]

17 minutes ago, lpmpsail said:

HAL needs to drop Covid Testing - just found out from Walgreens & CVS that I'll be paying at least $129/test for us to get their testing done since we have no symptoms or other reason to get the test, aside from travel.  Yeah, guess I could lie about symptoms so insurance would cover it but that just seems like karma waiting to strike.  The government has changed rules - it's time for the cruise ships to do the same.  Even though we're fully vaxxed & boosted twice, obviously we can still get Covid.  Something we probably will live with the rest of our lives, unfortunately.

If it is really the cost you are complaining about, you can get tested for far less than $129.  There have been numerous discussions of teleservice testing on Cruise Critic; search and you will find them.  For example, for our cruise next week, we are using the following at-home testing service for $14.99 to certify the test and we are using the free test kits we got from the US government (if you don't have any, you can get them from your local pharmacy for really cheap).  So compared to the price of a cruise, this is peanuts and simply not worth complaining about.

https://onpoint-testing.com/product/certified-teleservice-covid-testing/?utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=Labor Day&utm_medium=email

Edited July 25, 2022 by Torquer

[terrydtx]

4 minutes ago, rothbury said:

That $129 is each.  Just had some friends take an Alaska cruise.  Went to Walgreens for their test and it was $348 for both of them.

Medicare still pays for our tests at CVS 100% even for travel.

[lpmpsail]

8 minutes ago, NavyCruiser said:

Agreed.

But in the meantime, if you still have those free tests from USPS, use the $20  https://rapidtestandtrace.com/ proctored testing at home service.  

Our group of 30 used them & worked out great, even while traveling in Vancouver.

Thanks for that info - I'll check it out.  Is this approved for HAL requirements?   Have you cruised with this testing?

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, lpmpsail said:

Thanks for that info - I'll check it out.  Is this approved for HAL requirements?   Have you cruised with this testing?

We have not used it, but many in CC have with no problems, as long as the test is monitored by the online testing company.  We leave next week for Italy for 2 cruises and plan to get tested in Rome and Venice before each cruise. Our hotels are setting up the appointments for us. The tests in Italy are 22 Euros per person per test. We are going this way, so we do not have to worry about internet connections.

[NavyCruiser]

6 minutes ago, lpmpsail said:

Thanks for that info - I'll check it out.  Is this approved for HAL requirements?   Have you cruised with this testing?

Yes, we've used the rapidtestandtrace.com $20 service, to board Celebrity 3 months ago & Royal Carib  last month.  

Will use again for HAL next month...

[tuolumne couple]

15 minutes ago, dchip said:

Pre cruise testing doesn’t work to keep the ship free of COVID. For our South Pacific cruise on 2/27/22 we tested 2 days before embarkation. We were tested again at the pier. We were tested on the ship before we reached Hawaii. There were still many people that ended up in quarantine. Pre cruise testing is futile. 
Denise

Very true, Denise. Somehow we dodged the bullet, right? The only thing that is really going to help is masking etc. Good to read a post from you.  

[aeraen]

Saying that the testing doesn't stop ALL incidences of Covid is a bit like saying that traffic laws don't stop all car crashes.  Of course it doesn't stop all, but testing can stop some, and maybe even many.  The fewer people who board with covid, the less likely everyone else will be infected on board.    

 

 I can only assume that the complainers are afraid of being found positive and denied boarding.  There is really no other reason.  If a $20 test is too much to spend on their own and their fellow traveler's health and safety, then maybe they need to look at whether they should really be spending thousands of $$ on a cruise in the first place.  

 

I will happily test before boarding,  and even mid-cruise, if necessary (as I had to on my last river cruise) to be as sure as possible that I don't put my fellow passengers at risk.  

 

 

[cruisemom42]

31 minutes ago, iceman93 said:

But more importantly, the pre-cruise testing simply doesn't work to prevent COVID from getting onto ships.

 

I think the better question is whether it REDUCES the number of COVID cases on ships. Clearly it's not possible to prevent them altogether. But reducing them still seems like a good idea in terms of exposures.

 

[Mary229]

I say quit testing.  There are no studies indicating tested cruises versus untested cruises have higher or lower incidents.  If any of you know a peer reviewed study please provide your source 

[1025cruise]

Just buy the self tests with proctoring. Much cheaper.

Please keep in mind that HAL can't drop the requirement until ALL of the places the ships sail to also drop it.

[aeraen]

6 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I say quit testing.  There are no studies indicating tested cruises versus untested cruises have higher or lower incidents.  If any of you know a peer reviewed study please provide your source 

 

Certainly.  Below is a study printed by the National Library of Medicine specifically for cruise ships.  I've added a link, but the upshot is:

 

Conclusions

In the absence of mitigation measures, COVID-19 can spread easily on cruise ships in a susceptible population because of the confined space and high-density contact networks. This environment can create superspreader events and facilitate international spread.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8739343/

 

 

Please share your "peer reviewed" study that shows that allowing infected passengers onboard a cruise ship doesn't result in increased infections.  

[NavyCruiser]

8 minutes ago, aeraen said:

Conclusions

In the absence of mitigation measures, COVID-19 can spread easily on cruise ships in a susceptible population because of the confined space and high-density contact networks. This environment can create superspreader events and facilitate international spread.

 

Just replace "cruise ships" above with:  airplanes, airports, trains, buses, shopping malls, grocery stores, sports stadiums, etc...

These other superspreader events/venues currently doesn't require testing...

[tuolumne couple]

49 minutes ago, aeraen said:

  The fewer people who board with covid, the less likely everyone else will be infected on board.    

 I can only assume that the complainers are afraid of being found positive and denied boarding.   

I will happily test before boarding,  and even mid-cruise, if necessary

 

oh, we agree, and we are not complaining, and I am all for testing. Test away, test every day if you need to. Bring it on. I am not sure how recently you have cruised, but I am coming up on my third cruise for the year. I am still Covid free. Testing before a cruise is a challenge in a new city to meet the requirements. Say all you want of the free testing and online proctoring, if you are not in that position, it is neither convenient nor cheap to get a pre-cruise test done. I am nervous about Canada, but I have my options scoped out. Will it stop people from getting Covid when then go on land and eat out or let their guard down and bring a virus back on board? Likely not. Will it save people the hassle of fulfilling this requirement, even if they test us again pre-cruise? Yes. People are going to do what they are going to do, and of course we are all afraid of the ramifications of testing positive. All we can do is control the controllable (follow masking and safety protocol like we all have the for past few years) and be cognizant of protecting not only ourselves, but those around us. Covid is not new. But in my humble opinion, dropping the pre-cruise testing will save a lot of people some time and money. Tests only assure you do not have Covid two days before you sail. But if you become transmissible on the day of sailing, it was all for not, right?

[aeraen]

Just now, Mary229 said:

There are no peer reviewed studies, it is a construct.  That’s the point.  Your  study does nothing but say Covid will spread. Nor does it indicate levels of significant symptoms.   It does not substantiate its claim nor tell you which mitigation measures , at least from your quote.  
 

I offered you the a link to the entire paper.  You choose not to read it, but I can advise that the subject that this thread is about is testing, which is the first mitigation measure. 

 

So, you demand that others supply a peer review study backing up their conclusions.  I do.  You decline to even read the study you insisted on, and you admit that there is not a study to back up your misguided conclusion. Okey, dokey, then.  No sense wasting my time here. 

[Tennessee Titan]

What will you say when the guy who was not tested infects you or a member of your fanmily???

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Medicare still pays for our tests at CVS 100% even for travel.

As of today????

[aeraen]

3 minutes ago, tuolumne couple said:

oh, we agree, and we are not complaining, and I am all for testing. Test away, test every day if you need to. Bring it on. I am not sure how recently you have cruised, but I am coming up on my third cruise for the year. I am still Covid free. Testing before a cruise is a challenge in a new city to meet the requirements. Say all you want of the free testing and online proctoring, if you are not in that position, it is neither convenient nor cheap to get a pre-cruise test done. I am nervous about Canada, but I have my options scoped out. Will it stop people from getting Covid when then go on land and eat out or let their guard down and bring a virus back on board? Likely not. Will it save people the hassle of fulfilling this requirement, even if they test us again pre-cruise? Yes. People are going to do what they are going to do, and of course we are all afraid of the ramifications of testing positive. All we can do is control the controllable (follow masking and safety protocol like we all have the for past few years) and be cognizant of protecting not only ourselves, but those around us. Covid is not new. But in my humble opinion, dropping the pre-cruise testing will save a lot of people some time and money. Tests only assure you do not have Covid two days before you sail. But if you become transmissible on the day of sailing, it was all for not, right?

Of course, everything about cruising is expensive and inconvenient, before you board.  Paying for airfare, going through airport security,  flight delays. Airport transfers.  Excursions.  Again, if one cannot handle the inconvenience and minor expense to be tested, then maybe one should take road trips until they can handle their responsibility they have to their fellow passengers.  Or maybe not,  as road trips require that you follow the rules of the road, as well.  Ugh, the inconvenience of stopping at every red light!  

[tuolumne couple]

1 minute ago, aeraen said:

 Ugh, the inconvenience of stopping at every red light!  

Inconvenient? No, just a public Safety Law. I am double vaxed and double boosted and still wear a mask in this pandemic. I think what some are trying to say is that a test does not give you a license to not follow safety protocol. I do not have to test negative to fly home from Canada any longer. Does that mean that I will not be careful, and follow the safety measures to protect myself and others? No. All some are trying to say is that testing two days prior to boarding will not protect the ship. That being said, wishing everyone a lovely Monday, and Happy cruising. Be safe, be well, and love each other. 

[Mary229]

17 minutes ago, aeraen said:

I offered you the a link to the entire paper.  You choose not to read it, but I can advise that the subject that this thread is about is testing, which is the first mitigation measure. 

 

So, you demand that others supply a peer review study backing up their conclusions.  I do.  You decline to even read the study you insisted on, and you admit that there is not a study to back up your misguided conclusion. Okey, dokey, then.  No sense wasting my time here. 

No, I perused it.   Perhaps I missed citation but I doubt testing is considered the first measure.  🤣