diff --git a/test/functional/apps/settings/_advanced_settings.js b/test/functional/apps/settings/_advanced_settings.js
index 6a39e5654b528..c9822843785d7 100644
--- a/test/functional/apps/settings/_advanced_settings.js
+++ b/test/functional/apps/settings/_advanced_settings.js
@@ -35,6 +35,12 @@ define(function (require) {
           .then(function (advancedSetting) {
             expect(advancedSetting).to.be('America/Phoenix');
           })
+          .then(function () {
+            return settingsPage.setAdvancedSettings('dateFormat:tz', 'UTC');
+          })
+          .then(function () {
+            return settingsPage.clickIndicesTab();
+          })
           .catch(common.handleError(this));
         });
 
diff --git a/test/functional/apps/settings/_initial_state.js b/test/functional/apps/settings/_initial_state.js
index a7d4f2b872ebd..452063a92cd27 100644
--- a/test/functional/apps/settings/_initial_state.js
+++ b/test/functional/apps/settings/_initial_state.js
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ define(function (require) {
         return scenarioManager.reload('emptyKibana')
         .then(function () {
           return settingsPage.navigateTo();
+        })
+        .then(function () {
+          return settingsPage.clickIndicesTab();
         });
       });
 
diff --git a/test/server_config.js b/test/server_config.js
index 8a27c968eb7e3..073cd9cb35a10 100644
--- a/test/server_config.js
+++ b/test/server_config.js
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ module.exports = {
       protocol: process.env.TEST_UI_KIBANA_PROTOCOL || 'http',
       hostname: process.env.TEST_UI_KIBANA_HOSTNAME || 'localhost',
       port: parseInt(process.env.TEST_UI_KIBANA_PORT, 10) || 5620,
-      auth: shield.kibanaUser.username + ':' + shield.kibanaUser.password
+      auth: shield.kibanaUser.username + ':' + shield.kibanaUser.password,
+      shield: shield.kibanaUser
     },
     elasticsearch: {
       protocol: process.env.TEST_UI_ES_PROTOCOL || 'http',
diff --git a/test/support/pages/common.js b/test/support/pages/common.js
index bb8faaa970887..842b4cce5d139 100644
--- a/test/support/pages/common.js
+++ b/test/support/pages/common.js
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ define(function (require) {
   var parse = require('intern/dojo/node!url').parse;
   var format = require('intern/dojo/node!url').format;
   var path = require('intern/dojo/node!path');
+  var ShieldPage = require('../../support/pages/shield_page');
+
+  var shieldPage;
+
 
   function injectTimestampQuery(func, url) {
     var formatted = modifyQueryString(url, function (parsed) {
@@ -33,7 +37,7 @@ define(function (require) {
       parsed.query = {};
     }
     func(parsed);
-    return format(_.pick(parsed, 'protocol', 'hostname', 'port', 'pathname', 'query', 'hash', 'auth'));
+    return format(_.pick(parsed, 'protocol', 'hostname', 'port', 'pathname', 'query', 'hash'));
   }
 
   function Common(remote) {
@@ -43,6 +47,7 @@ define(function (require) {
       remote.get.wrapper = injectTimestampQuery;
       this.remote.getCurrentUrl = _.wrap(this.remote.getCurrentUrl, removeTimestampQuery);
     }
+    shieldPage = new ShieldPage(this.remote);
   }
 
 
@@ -57,11 +62,8 @@ define(function (require) {
 
     navigateToApp: function (appName, testStatusPage) {
       var self = this;
-      // navUrl includes user:password@ for use with Shield
-      // appUrl excludes user:password@ to match what getCurrentUrl returns
-      var navUrl = getUrl(config.servers.kibana, config.apps[appName]);
       var appUrl = getUrl.noAuth(config.servers.kibana, config.apps[appName]);
-      self.debug('navigating to ' + appName + ' url: ' + navUrl);
+      self.debug('navigating to ' + appName + ' url: ' + appUrl);
 
       var doNavigation = function (url) {
         return self.tryForTime(defaultTimeout, function () {
@@ -90,24 +92,36 @@ define(function (require) {
           .then(function () {
             return self.remote.getCurrentUrl();
           })
+          // .then(function (currentUrl) {
+          //   var loginPage = new RegExp('login').test(currentUrl);
+          //   if (loginPage) {
+          //     self.debug('Found loginPage = ' + loginPage + ', username = '
+          //       + config.servers.kibana.shield.username);
+          //     return shieldPage.login(config.servers.kibana.shield.username,
+          //       config.servers.kibana.shield.password)
+          //     .then(function () {
+          //       return self.remote.getCurrentUrl();
+          //     });
+          //   } else {
+          //     return self.remote.getCurrentUrl();
+          //   }
+          // })
           .then(function (currentUrl) {
             currentUrl = currentUrl.replace(/\/\/\w+:\w+@/, '//');
             var navSuccessful = new RegExp(appUrl).test(currentUrl);
             if (!navSuccessful) {
               var msg = 'App failed to load: ' + appName +
-              ' in ' + defaultTimeout + 'ms' +
               ' appUrl = ' + appUrl +
               ' currentUrl = ' + currentUrl;
               self.debug(msg);
               throw new Error(msg);
             }
-
             return currentUrl;
           });
         });
       };
 
-      return doNavigation(navUrl)
+      return doNavigation(appUrl)
       .then(function (currentUrl) {
         var lastUrl = currentUrl;
         return self.tryForTime(defaultTimeout, function () {
@@ -185,7 +199,7 @@ define(function (require) {
     tryForTime: function (timeout, block) {
       var self = this;
       var start = Date.now();
-      var retryDelay = 502;
+      var retryDelay = 1502;
       var lastTry = 0;
       var tempMessage;
 
diff --git a/test/support/pages/settings_page.js b/test/support/pages/settings_page.js
index e330e92e53877..2856240e614a0 100644
--- a/test/support/pages/settings_page.js
+++ b/test/support/pages/settings_page.js
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@ define(function (require) {
     },
 
 
-    clickAdvancedTab: function () {
-      common.debug('in clickAdvancedTab');
-      return common.findTestSubject('settingsNav advanced').click();
+    clickIndicesTab: function () {
+      common.debug('in clickIndicesTab');
+      return common.findTestSubject('settingsNav indices').click();
     },
 
     setAdvancedSettings: function setAdvancedSettings(propertyName, propertyValue) {
diff --git a/test/support/pages/shield_page.js b/test/support/pages/shield_page.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..6f14d5ad425d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/support/pages/shield_page.js
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+// in test/support/pages/shield_page.js
+define(function (require) {
+  var config = require('intern').config;
+  var defaultTimeout = config.timeouts.default;
+
+  // the page object is created as a constructor
+  // so we can provide the remote Command object
+  // at runtime
+  function ShieldPage(remote) {
+    this.remote = remote;
+  }
+
+  ShieldPage.prototype = {
+    constructor: ShieldPage,
+
+    login: function login(user, pwd) {
+      var self = this.remote;
+      return self.setFindTimeout(5000)
+      .findById('username')
+      .type(user)
+      .then(function () {
+        return self.findById('password')
+        .type(pwd);
+      })
+      .then(function () {
+        return self.findByCssSelector('.btn')
+        .click();
+      });
+    }
+
+
+  };
+
+  return ShieldPage;
+});