If you test positive for Covid at the port…

[icc2515]

I've looked at resorts in the Cancun area of Mexico and Costa Rica.

I have read that Cancun airport has Covid tests for $13. MCO has covid tests for upwards of $250.

 

[Lewisc]

Some travel insurance policies cover some of your expenses if you need to quarantine. I have no idea what the DCL policy covers.

 

[DCLMP]

Is flying even an option if you’ve tested positive? Doesn’t matter if you had a negative test after. I think the question is have you had a positive test. If you answer yes I don’t think any airline, train, or bus will even take you - Disney arrangements or no. So the question is are there enough rental cars in the area to accommodate?

There is no way the airlines are going to know you tested positive unless you tell them. From an ethical point you probably shouldnt fly. That being said Im sure there al lot of people flying with Covid that aren’t even aware they have it.

 

[DCLMP]

This is where the insurance comes in. Since you booked air through DCL, I do think they will help with rescheduling or cancelling the flight. However they probably won't do the rest of your plans for you -- hotel, car rental, etc. The insurance will help cover the expenses, though you may need to pay upfront and be reimbursed.

However, it appears nobody really has solid answers to any of these questions. Which leads me to believe there must be very few, if any, who have been turned away at the port due to a positive embarkation test in the past month.

You would think eventually some story would pop on some social media platform. They made us drop our luggage before the test. If they were getting a lot of positives I’m sure they would make people hold onto their luggage until they were clear. I personally didn’t see anyone in the waiting area come up positive.

 

[fitstylist]

So far, I have not found any insurance policies that would cover hotel costs in the event of a quarantine...

Allianz definitely has plans that cover this and I suspect their competitors like Travelex do as well. If your plan has an Epidemic Coverage Endorsement and you or a traveling companion becomes ill or are ordered to quarantine it would trigger the trip interruption benefits. Hope this helps!

 

[FWRR3]

You would think eventually some story would pop on some social media platform. They made us drop our luggage before the test. If they were getting a lot of positives I’m sure they would make people hold onto their luggage until they were clear. I personally didn’t see anyone in the waiting area come up positive.

Here's one (long read):
Disney Dream denied boarding to at least 24 families at the port due to Covid screening issues yesterday. : dcl (reddit.com)

 

[AquaDame]

Here's one (long read):
Disney Dream denied boarding to at least 24 families at the port due to Covid screening issues yesterday. : dcl (reddit.com)

Looks like it was hugged to death... not loading for me. Was anyone able to read it?

 

[Marrila]

Looks like it was hugged to death... not loading for me. Was anyone able to read it?

I did. Family with two kids, one 11, the other younger. They thought the only testing required for the kids would be done at port. Gave an (understandably) sad description of the line guests were moved to if they were to be denied boarding.
They and other families waited hours for luggage and paperwork related to compensation.
That's about as much as I recall off the top off the top of my head.
Edited to add-looks like the post is working again now.

 

[diablodancer]

I did. Family with two kids, one 11, the other younger. They thought the only testing required for the kids would be done at port. Gave an (understandably) sad description of the line guests were moved to if they were to be denied boarding.
They and other families waited hours for luggage and paperwork related to compensation.
That's about as much as I recall off the top off the top of my head.
Edited to add-looks like the post is working again now.

Worth adding that that post was the first sailing back IIRC and a bunch of people hadn’t understood/hadn’t read the new protocols which is why there was quite a few people affected.

 

[Kwami]

Worth adding that that post was the first sailing back IIRC and a bunch of people hadn’t understood/hadn’t read the new protocols which is why there was quite a few people affected.

And it wasn't a case of anyone testing positive, so they were all allowed to fly and call taxis and the like. It's much different for a Covid-positive case.

 

[starry_solo]

Looks like it was hugged to death... not loading for me. Was anyone able to read it?

Here is a copy & paste from the Reddit post:

TL;DR: More than 24 families were denied boarding for the Disney Dream due to Covid screening issues. Disney Cruise Line was unprepared for so many angry and sad parents and children.

Hello fellow DCL cruisers. I wanted to take a few minutes to write about our awful experience yesterday in hopes you can avoid the same issues many families experienced and were denied boarding yesterday.

Our cruise experience began when we received an e-mail about the August 9 sailing.

We are Disney Vacation Club members and sailing is our favorite Disney vacation option. This would have been our sixth Disney cruise.

Booking the cruise via DVC member services was a breeze. However, the booking agent had no information or details on the Covid screening requirements, only that screening would be required and vaccinations were strongly encouraged.

Both myself and my wife are fully vaccinated. Our two daughters are 7 and 11 and not yet eligible for vaccinations where we live.

After booking I received our normal Disney confirmation emails, but also an email explaining that all members of our reservation over 18 were required to create an account on the safepassage website. I created one for myself and one for my wife, and added both kids to my wife’s profile.

For myself and my wife we successfully uploaded our proof of vaccination and after 2 days they were marked “clear”. The children status did not give any indication that screenings were necessary or any warning that they would not be allowed to board.

My understanding of the rest of the instructions was that the kids would be tested at the port and then we would be clear to sail.

That is where we, and at least 23 other families made a HUGE mistake.

ALL children under 12 still required a negative PCR test result within 5 days of the cruise departure, before arriving at the port!

This was not clear to us and nothing in the safepassage website warned us that we were not going to be able to cruise.

Our online check-in with Disney showed complete, all green check marks and no red flags. We printed our port arrival form, all set and green lights too, nothing on our port arrival form gave us any hint we were not going to be able to sail.

When we arrived at the port we were placed in a queue for the kids to be tested, which we expected, and so we were less than an hour from boarding and still didn’t know the seriousness of our situation. Our youngest was scared about the “swab going into her brain” but other guests in the line were giving her encouragement and saying that kids were being allowed to swab themselves so she didn’t need to be afraid.

We entered the “Step 1” screening tent not realizing we were about to have our worst Disney experience ever.

After being handed off from Disney to the screening staff, we were asked by the first person we spoke to for the children’s PCR test results. I noticed a queue of families to my right and could see their kids were crying and one father was red-faced, yelling into his mobile phone.

I began to be concerned we would face the same fate. I told the safepassage staff member in front of me we didn’t have any PCR results for the girls, we expected them to be tested at the port. He told me to step into the queue with the other crying families and that a Disney cast member would come speak to us.

My heart sank as I realized our fate and I looked at my wife and our two daughters. I struggled as I prepared to deliver the worst possible news I could give them at that moment.

My wife read my face and I could tell she already knew.

As I shepherded my kids to the other queue, I knelt down, looked them in the eyes and said the hardest thing I’ve ever had to tell them.

“Girls, Daddy made a big mistake and I don’t think we are going to be able to cruise today.” Tears began to well up, and thus began a 8 hour saga.

I scanned around the tent trying to see any cast member addressing these rejected families. I couldn’t see anything being done, just confusion, anger, and tears.

I began approaching cast members trying to first confirm my fears that we also had failed to understand the cruise requirements and would not be able to board. I found a wonderful cast member “Sue” and reassured her I was not angry, I knew I had made the same serious mistake as these other families with the exact same issue, and I just needed to know what would happen next.

I asked Sue; Are we being denied boarding? Is there any hope for a refund? Where is our luggage? Where will we stay tonight?

Sue was very kind and confirmed, no, you cannot cruise. Yes, we will issue a full refund, and she didn’t know what they were doing about hotels or transportation., They were trying to find our luggage and return it to us.

“We have at least ten families in your situation” Sue shared. She was clearly overwhelmed and I could tell Disney was completely unprepared for what was happening.

As I shared the bad news with my family the tears really flowed knowing we would not be getting on the Dream.

The screening tent became a disorganized mess before my eyes.

Disney had not prepared for the possibility so many families would have failed to understand the screening instructions.

The cast members had small half sheets of paper where they recorded your name, stateroom, number of suitcases. Unfortunately the staff were so overwhelmed that small measure of organization proved worthless. Sue had taken our information but then we were asked, about once an hour “what is your stateroom again?”

DCL was clearly having trouble finding passenger luggage. We were told the luggage would not be loaded until you were “clear to sail”. That quickly proved wrong as it became obvious they were searching the ship to retrieve luggage.

I watched and waited as Sue and her colleagues did their best to deal with the escalating fiasco on their hands. There was no place for rejected guests to wait, no chairs, no food or water. Hours passed waiting for refund letters, accommodation arrangements and luggage.

Rejected guests piled around the screening tent in small clusters trying to gather their emotions and figure out what they were going to do. Tempers flared as guests shared their stories and vented their frustrations about safepassage, the horrid instructions and DCL failing to be prepared.

At least one angry Dad took matters into his own hands and didn’t wait for help from Disney. He said to me “Don’t wait for them, I paid a luggage guy one hundred cash and he found our luggage in five minutes” as he stormed off with his crying family in tow. It didn’t appear he had received anything in writing from Disney, as we eventually did hours later.

I wandered about and spoke to several other families. Kids were sobbing, parents were livid. Thousands of dollars had been spent, spirits were crushed, families were hot, tired, thirsty. All we could do was stand and wait. Some kids sat on the asphalt others sat on curbs outside the tent.

One family of six shared an even more frustrating tale of rejection. They had followed the instructions, all of them had their negative test results, but one of the six had only rapid-test results, not a PCR result, and so the entire family was denied boarding. I found it shocking Disney couldn’t accommodate that scenario.

Another family I spoke to said that one father had a list of 23 families he had written down that were affected. We would make 24. My wife and I think there were at least thirty rejected families and more than 120 guests who were unable to cruise due to this fiasco.

We had arrived at the port about 2:20PM. We were in the first screening tent about 3:00PM when the tragedy began to unfold.

We watched as family after family slowly got a letter explaining they would be issued a full refund, luggage was slowly found and delivered to them, and they disappeared one family at a time to some unknown transportation which we still had not been told what would be provided.

As the 5:45 departure time approached we could see the Dream was still firmly tied to dock, clearly not leaving on time.

Around 6:00 PM our luggage was finally found. About thirty minutes later we had a refund letter in hand promising our full cruise price would be refunded “in the form it was paid”.

Thirty minutes after that we were boarded with a few other families on a bus to the airport.

As our bus headed away, we saw the Dream finally cast off as well.

I’m grateful my family has forgiven me and I’m hoping that the refund process DCL has promised will be fulfilled without further incident.

I want to thank cast members Sue and Matt, and all those helping them, for their tireless efforts to help the rejected guests. It was a long horrible day, but the DCL cast members worked hard to help everyone as best they could.

I am certain DCL will learn from this and correct their processes.

The Safe passage group needs to be held accountable for their horrible instructions that confused and left helpless so many devastated families yesterday.

Edit: Typo, corrected time frames.

 

[Dug720]

There is no way the airlines are going to know you tested positive unless you tell them. From an ethical point you probably shouldnt fly.

When I have flown since COVID starting, you do have to check that neither you nor anyone in your party have tested positive for COVID within 10 days.

Are there people who lie about it? I'm sure there are - just like there are people who used to check off on the pre-cruise form that no one in their party had had nausea or diarrhea in the past 24 hours (or even worse, try to take their kid to the kids' clubs after said kid threw up at dinner - actually happened on a Wonder cruise I was on...one of the twins at the table behind my sister and me threw up during dinner; my sister had a feeling, so she contacted one of her fellow CMs to ensure that the account was flagged, and sure enough mom within an hour mom was trying to drop the kid off). I'm actually pretty sure there was a woman at a gate that my flight would later be using in Charlotte who had as she was hacking up a lung the whole time she was sitting there (and using only her mask to cover her cough - EVERYONE was staying far, far away), she thankfully was not on my flight. But I was really surprised she wasn't questioned when her flight boarded.

Sadly, I don't know that there is any penalty for checking off the box when you know you have it. Unless someone in your party blabs and that can get you banned - I know that happened on a JetBlue flight between NYC and Florida (not sure which airport, but I remember the jist of the story) where a couple boarded and it turns out they were "waiting" for the husband's test results..."waiting" in quotes because the wife was overheard telling someone near them that he got the call that he was positive as they were boarding.

But you'd hope that having to check that box would give someone with ethics pause about lying about it.

 

[laceltris3]

This is why I have stocked up on rapid antigen tests for us to do at home, the day before, and am only willing to sail out of the port that we live 45 minutes from. I suppose we wouldn’t be refunded our pre paid parking, but thats all we would be out If we were to test positive at the port.

 

[DCLMP]

When I have flown since COVID starting, you do have to check that neither you nor anyone in your party have tested positive for COVID within 10 days.

Are there people who lie about it? I'm sure there are - just like there are people who used to check off on the pre-cruise form that no one in their party had had nausea or diarrhea in the past 24 hours (or even worse, try to take their kid to the kids' clubs after said kid threw up at dinner - actually happened on a Wonder cruise I was on...one of the twins at the table behind my sister and me threw up during dinner; my sister had a feeling, so she contacted one of her fellow CMs to ensure that the account was flagged, and sure enough mom within an hour mom was trying to drop the kid off). I'm actually pretty sure there was a woman at a gate that my flight would later be using in Charlotte who had as she was hacking up a lung the whole time she was sitting there (and using only her mask to cover her cough - EVERYONE was staying far, far away), she thankfully was not on my flight. But I was really surprised she wasn't questioned when her flight boarded.

Sadly, I don't know that there is any penalty for checking off the box when you know you have it. Unless someone in your party blabs and that can get you banned - I know that happened on a JetBlue flight between NYC and Florida (not sure which airport, but I remember the jist of the story) where a couple boarded and it turns out they were "waiting" for the husband's test results..."waiting" in quotes because the wife was overheard telling someone near them that he got the call that he was positive as they were boarding.

But you'd hope that having to check that box would give someone with ethics pause about lying about it.

Like I said they won’t know unless you tell them. I’m not saying that’s right.
As far as little kids vomiting a lot of times it is nothing. On a ship it could just be motion sickness. My kids used to get car sick frequentlly. I’ve vomited a few times on a ship. I wouldn’t just assume it’s a gastrointestinal virus.

 

[DCLMP]

I have read that Cancun airport has Covid tests for $13. MCO has covid tests for upwards of $250.

You need a Covid test to return to the US. Since Mexico is so heavily dependent on tourism it is in their best interest not to charge exorbitant fees.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I wouldn’t just assume it’s a gastrointestinal virus.

However, the rule is if your kid pukes they get excluded from club for a time, because if it IS, club is a superspreader zone because of kids touching EVERYTHING.

 

[DCLMP]

However, the rule is if your kid pukes they get excluded from club for a time, because if it IS, club is a superspreader zone because of kids touching EVERYTHING.

In my experience they had to go to medical and get cleared. It was a five minute process.

 

[TheBigErn]

Like I said they won’t know unless you tell them. I’m not saying that’s right.
As far as little kids vomiting a lot of times it is nothing. On a ship it could just be motion sickness. My kids used to get car sick frequentlly. I’ve vomited a few times on a ship. I wouldn’t just assume it’s a gastrointestinal virus.

People get on airplanes all the time with all sorts of illnesses. If anyone thinks that everyone on the plane is in perfect health you’re delusional

 

[sethschroeder]

• Have covid travel insurance
• Rent a car from MCO that you park at the terminal or hotel
• Plan on driving home (or seeing if your insurance will pay to fly you on a private plane home)

 

[sethschroeder]

People get on airplanes all the time with all sorts of illnesses. If anyone thinks that everyone on the plane is in perfect health you’re delusional

People also do lots of bad things in the world it does not excuse anything.

Additionally being on a plane with a cold is fairly different than a virus that is currently the cause of a pandemic.

Finally you are putting yourself a financial and social risk by testing positive and then flying on a public airplane. There is always a chance it would be found out. Is it worth losing your career over all of this? Nah