FAQ: Travelling to/from Orlando (Including PCR/Antigen Test Info for Canadians)

[Hockeychic]

How far in advance can you book an appointment with them? Could you please post a link to their appointment booking site? Thank you.

https://maingate-testing.as.me/schedule.php
it is on the first page. I booked a Thursday appt today

 

[CJK]

Great post! Thanks so much for putting it together for everyone. I have a quick question. With the changes to requirements after Feb. 28th, can we still choose to take the ID NOW test at Walgreens within 72hrs of returning to Canada? We'd rather get the test done in Florida, and then drive for 2 days to Canada. We don't want to have to get a rapid test the day prior to crossing the border, and would rather get it just before leaving Florida. Does the ID NOW test qualify to take within 72hrs? I know you can get a PCR test within 72hrs, but I just wanted to verify that the ID NOW qualifies for that 72hrs as well. Thanks!

 

[spewey]

Great post! Thanks so much for putting it together for everyone. I have a quick question. With the changes to requirements after Feb. 28th, can we still choose to take the ID NOW test at Walgreens within 72hrs of returning to Canada? We'd rather get the test done in Florida, and then drive for 2 days to Canada. We don't want to have to get a rapid test the day prior to crossing the border, and would rather get it just before leaving Florida. Does the ID NOW test qualify to take within 72hrs? I know you can get a PCR test within 72hrs, but I just wanted to verify that the ID NOW qualifies for that 72hrs as well. Thanks!

There has never been a requirement for a PCR test. The current mandate is for a molecular test taken within 72 hours of your arrival at a land crossing or of the scheduled time of departure of your flight into Canada. The ID Now NAAT test is molecular and therefore qualifies for entry and will remain so after February 28th when the rules change to allow antigen tests as well.
I wholeheartedly agree with your strategy of using the Walgreens ID Now rapid test if you are driving. Or flying for that matter, assuming they’re available near where you are staying.

 

[Jezwood]

There has never been a requirement for a PCR test. The current mandate is for a molecular test taken within 72 hours of your arrival at a land crossing or of the scheduled time of departure of your flight into Canada. The ID Now NAAT test is molecular and therefore qualifies for entry and will remain so after February 28th when the rules change to allow antigen tests as well.
I wholeheartedly agree with your strategy of using the Walgreens ID Now rapid test if you are driving. Or flying for that matter, assuming they’re available near where you are staying.

I'm going the last week of March and flying home on April 1st. My concern with getting a ID NOW NAAT Test is that it may give you a false positive if you had Covid in the last 90 days. My husband and I may have had it over Christmas but it was not confirmed with a PCR test so I don't know which way I should go. Antigen or Molecular test?

 

[CanucksRock]

Has anyone used the Disney Maingate lab? I booked appts but can’t see how long the wait is To get results. All they asked is my phone number and email address. Nothing about it being free.

For Antigen it was pretty quick. Do not know about PCR as they were not doing PCR that day. They send the PCR to a lab outside the state for resulting.

 

[CanucksRock]

I have updated the first post with the changes that are effective today.

 

[bankr63]

I'm going the last week of March and flying home on April 1st. My concern with getting a ID NOW NAAT Test is that it may give you a false positive if you had Covid in the last 90 days. My husband and I may have had it over Christmas but it was not confirmed with a PCR test so I don't know which way I should go. Antigen or Molecular test?

Both. The molecular test might show up positive, but if it was over Christmas then a RAT will get you home. Note that I work in a hospital and we use RAT tests to clear workers to return to work post infection for just that reason. It generally will not signal unless you have active COVID (low false positives). They are less reliable because they provide more false negatives, but that is not what you are going for. If we fail a NAAT we have plenty of RATs along to prove we are not currently active.
DW and I both work in high-risk workplaces (elementary school and hospital), so even with triple vaccination, there is the chance that we have been exposed and were asymptomatic. We'll take the NAAT so that we don't have to worry about testing while travelling home, it will be a known. If we test C+ on the NAAT we would take an immediate RAT to see if we are really active.

 

[bankr63]

I'm not an IT person or anything so obviously everyone should be cautious. But as far as I can tell, WM Life Centers, which owns www.lifecenters.ca is a real clinic based in Calgary. Their google reviews appear to support the idea that they are a real company. Here is their IG account. https://www.instagram.com/wmlifecenters/

By the way I also found another place that does virtual testing if you have your own antigen test. It's $25 for one person. https://www.medionerx.com/virtualcare/

Not saying they're not real, just that their website is marked as dangerous. They might be flagged for collecting credit cards over a non-encrypted (regular http) channel for instance. That could be just because they're not IT people either. I didn't dig deeper, as I don't like to ignore these sorts of warnings. Getting a warning like this from Safe Web is actually pretty rare for me.

 

[mjf]

We'll take the NAAT so that we don't have to worry about testing while travelling home, it will be a known. If we test C+ on the NAAT we would take an immediate RAT to see if we are really active.

This is really helpful thank you!

 

[Hockeychic]

A friend and I both did our Covid tests today to return to Canada. She did hers at Maingate at 8am still don’t have results. I did mine through curative at HawaIan Rumble Golf at 3pm and had my email with results email within 15 mins. Just a FYI.

 

[CanucksRock]

I did mine through curative at HawaIan Rumble Golf at 3pm and had my email with results email within 15 mins. Just a FYI.

Is Rumble going the Rapid PCR again? Website just showing the 1-2 day PCR.

 

[Minniemoo15]

Is Rumble going the Rapid PCR again? Website just showing the 1-2 day PCR.

I noticed the other day they have a seperate website for the rapid PCR now

https://book.curative.com/sites/34661

 

[CanucksRock]

I noticed the other day they have a seperate website for the rapid PCR now

https://book.curative.com/sites/34661

Thanks!! I up add it to the list.

 

[Aug2020distrip]

Can someone please let me know if kids need to be fully vaccinated to enter the US by air? I thought they did and then now I read people under 18 don’t have to be? My oldest is fully vaxxed but my youngest got Covid right before he was supposed to be so hasn’t had his second shot yet. Apparently his immunity from that should be good for 3+ months so would rather hold off on second dose. But we travel to USA end of April so just seeing if I should rush that…

thanks

 

[Aug2020distrip]

And wow! Thanks for posting that website where you can just take your own rapid tests (we have like 5 boxes unopened). And you can book far in advance! We go end of April so I still hope it’s gone totally by then, but if not looks like that might be the best way to go.

 

[CanucksRock]

Can someone please let me know if kids need to be fully vaccinated to enter the US by air?

Flights departing Canadian airports is 12 years and 4 months.

 

[lilsonicfan]

For our travel to the US we bought rapid antigen tests from proofofentry.com - will use those next week, can't comment on them yet. $29.95 each plus shipping (unless you buy 7 or more I think.)

Just wanted to update in case anyone was thinking about this site - we used these tests today and received our certificates quickly. They are not 'supervised' through a zoom call or anything but they are verified by QR code and a bunch of photos you take along the way. Well worth the price. You do have to work within their hours though which are somewhat limited.

 

[Hockeychic]

Update! Almost 25 hours and she still doesn’t have results from the maingate location. She was told she would have them within 24 hrs. She was verbally told it was negative but nothing to show for proof. She has a appt today with the Rumble golf place today where I went.

also for those who want to know. The Maingate one had a nurse do it who was awesome and friendly. The Rumble golf one I went to you did it yourself while supervised also very helpful people there.

this is not to criticize just to inform.

 

[greenclan67]

Just wanted to update in case anyone was thinking about this site - we used these tests today and received our certificates quickly. They are not 'supervised' through a zoom call or anything but they are verified by QR code and a bunch of photos you take along the way. Well worth the price. You do have to work within their hours though which are somewhat limited.

Are these good for coming back to Canada as well? And what kind of pictures you need.
thanks

 

[Kdemelo22]

All these sites say I will have to show I.D. when I book I use my hotel address but when i show them my Canadian driver's licence (Walgreens or curative) will they charge me for the test or turn me away?