Is Disney the only cruise line requiring testing at port?

[Alaska777]

On some cruise lines, the captain announces the numbers daily, and those on board share on public forums. Here is one example.

Sometimes, the media gets in on it too:
https://fortune.com/2021/12/26/carnival-cruise-covid-royal-caribbean-outbreak/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article256827477.html

I just read that entire 27 page post on CC. Wow!!

 

[unrequited23]

Also, you agree when you board to get tested if you develop COVID-19 symptoms. I'd bet that at least some people are honorable enough to do so.

My DS turned into a mucusy mess out of no where on our last full day. I knew he needed Claritin but had forgotten to pack it. I didn't want him to be miserable, so we booked an appointment at the medical center. They asked us to stay in our room until the appointment. He was tested, got a week's worth of Claritin plus an expectorant syrup. We were sent to our room to wait for results. It took about 40 minutes--and the doctor said we were not going to be charged for the visit, pcr test or meds because we did the right thing. There were no medical charges in my folio or directly on my CC (I just checked again.)

 

[mullysisters]

People absolutely do get quarantined on Disney ships. They have 2 decks set aside on each ship for that purpose. Posters have reported being quarantined, and seeing others being quarantined.

Am I right in saying those being quarantined have very visible symptoms? How do people test negative at the port and show symptoms less than 5 days later? This virus confuses me completely! We want them to do away with testing too. At this point after 3 vax and 2 years I'm willing to risk it. I should add no one at home to infect upon returning home. My Mom just passed and we were so careful, Dsis gave up her job and we never went out , we ordered everything in. It's time for us to (carefully) get back into the world.

 

[cmarsh31]

One thing to note... DCL tests, with rapid PCR tests, at the port. NCL, while currently testing at port, is using antigen tests, not PCR. However, DCL allows a 90-day "cleared to travel" exclusion to testing for those who recently had covid and could continue to show positive on a PCR test (but not antigen). Since NCL is using an antigen test, everyone must test, regardless of recovery status.

 

[bakerworld]

My spouse just read the DCL was dinged for the second time for under reporting

 

[karen4546]

My spouse just read the DCL was dinged for the second time for under reporting

Link?

 

[bakerworld]

Link?

He's looking for it - if he finds it I'll post the link.

 

[Kerriosu]

It would be really nice if DCL would move to the rapid test 48 hours before. Then I can test before I get on my flight.

 

[Snowwhyt]

My spouse just read the DCL was dinged for the second time for under reporting

So when you say under-reporting are they reporting employees or employees and guests? Does other cruise lines report numbers differently? Would those be a daily number or when they hit every port? Maybe just report the last port? Anyway we could see those numbers somewhere?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

One thing to note... DCL tests, with rapid PCR tests, at the port. NCL, while currently testing at port, is using antigen tests, not PCR. However, DCL allows a 90-day "cleared to travel" exclusion to testing for those who recently had covid and could continue to show positive on a PCR test (but not antigen). Since NCL is using an antigen test, everyone must test, regardless of recovery status.

The worry I have is that if I have had COVID, but didn't know it, since I'm triple-vaccinated, I could have very mild symptoms (if any at all) and never was tested to see if I have COVID. Then I go to board, get the PCR test (which can show positive for months after recovery), and test positive, but I have no COVID recovery statement from my doctor, because we never knew I had COVID.

 

[Snowwhyt]

The worry I have is that if I have had COVID, but didn't know it, since I'm triple-vaccinated, I could have very mild symptoms (if any at all) and never was tested to see if I have COVID. Then I go to board, get the PCR test (which can show positive for months after recovery), and test positive, but I have no COVID recovery statement from my doctor, because we never knew I had COVID.

For just the reason you mentioned, I would do the following 3 steps. Which we did for our 3X vaccinated individuals a few weeks ago.
1. PCR Test 14 days before you sail to catch that unknown Covid but symptom free example.
2. Schedule a PCR test 12 days before so you can be ready in case your 14 day test is inconclusive. Then your still in the 11 day window and can get the doctor letter.
3. Rapid test everyone hours before you leave/fly to see if you picked up a last minute infection. Your cruise is shot but at least you don’t take a flight and scramble out of town to accommodate the infectious individual.
An OCD plan to minimize Covid travel risk.

 

[TheSpooph]

My DS turned into a mucusy mess out of no where on our last full day. I knew he needed Claritin but had forgotten to pack it. I didn't want him to be miserable, so we booked an appointment at the medical center. They asked us to stay in our room until the appointment. He was tested, got a week's worth of Claritin plus an expectorant syrup. We were sent to our room to wait for results. It took about 40 minutes--and the doctor said we were not going to be charged for the visit, pcr test or meds because we did the right thing. There were no medical charges in my folio or directly on my CC (I just checked again.)

I was wondering about this for those who get sick with Covid while on board. I love that you weren’t charged for ‘doing the right thing’ but part of me wonders if that’s what they are doing for everyone. And what would happen if you test positive and need medical care. (There are several in my traveling party that are very worried about this point…)

I’m so glad that it all worked out for you and your son!!

 

[Sykes]

Testing at port is one of the key reasons why you don't hear about guests being quarantined on Disney ships.

On some cruise lines, the captain announces the numbers daily, and those on board share on public forums. Here is one example.

You're right that testing at the port is one reason, but it's definitely not the only reason. Many other cruise lines are being transparent about the number of cases on board. Disney most clearly is not. An acquaintance was quarantined on the Fantasy and said that there was evidence that a substantial portion of their hallway on Deck 2 was full. Just because it's not making the news doesn't mean that it isn't happening, with almost alarming regularity.

IMO, the biggest thing Disney has going for it is that most of its sailings are short.

 

[Intr3pid]

You're right that testing at the port is one reason, but it's definitely not the only reason. Many other cruise lines are being transparent about the number of cases on board. Disney most clearly is not. An acquaintance was quarantined on the Fantasy and said that there was evidence that a substantial portion of their hallway on Deck 2 was full. Just because it's not making the news doesn't mean that it isn't happening, with almost alarming regularity.

IMO, the biggest thing Disney has going for it is that most of its sailings are short.

Yes, itineraries are one reason, but you can control for it. Carnival and RCL both have 3- to 7-night cruises. The 7-nighters are the ones making the rounds - and not just in the news but on public forums. Fantasy has been doing 7-nighers for a few months now, but we don't hear much from Fantasy cruisers who have been in quarantine. As I noted, most (not all) of the deck 2 quarantines have been crew - as it's well known that a large contingent of the Fantasy entertainment staff picked up Omicron at the end of December.

RCL, on the other hand, has two ships currently assigned as what you call "plague ships". These are the ships housing infected crew, who are offloaded at ports after positive results and isolate on those ships until full recovery. Disney doesn't have a spare ship to get this done.

Here is a picture of what an infected hallway looked like after Carnival reported a "small number of cases" on board. Read through the comments to get a measure of transparency.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1475112035872563204

 

[lanejudy]

Am I right in saying those being quarantined have very visible symptoms?

I don’t think it’s accurate to say they have “very visible” symptoms. We definitely know some families have been quarantined because their child was a close contact in the kids club. Also children may test positive with little or no immediate symptoms when test on the last full day on cruises of 5+ nights). However I agree with a PP that DCL is unlikely to be quarantine significant numbers of guests or we’d have more reports about it here and other social media.

How do people test negative at the port and show symptoms less than 5 days later?

With Omicron symptoms can appear in as little as 2-3 days after exposure. Exposure may occur prior to embarkation but the virus wasn’t detected at embarkation testing. Someone exposed on the flight going to the cruise could end up with symptoms onboard.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

For just the reason you mentioned, I would do the following 3 steps. Which we did for our 3X vaccinated individuals a few weeks ago.
1. PCR Test 14 days before you sail to catch that unknown Covid but symptom free example.
2. Schedule a PCR test 12 days before so you can be ready in case your 14 day test is inconclusive. Then your still in the 11 day window and can get the doctor letter.
3. Rapid test everyone hours before you leave/fly to see if you picked up a last minute infection. Your cruise is shot but at least you don’t take a flight and scramble out of town to accommodate the infectious individual.
An OCD plan to minimize Covid travel risk.

We're sailing on our 3rd cruise post-covid restart. We didn't worry so much for the first 2 because of DCL's refund policy and the fact that both the cruises we were booked on, we had already done before. It wasn't new or special to us and there were plenty more just like it available in the future that we could move to in the event that one of us test positive.

Our upcoming March 4 cruise is a WBPC. We've never sailed through the PC before. We've never taken a 14-nt cruise before. There are no other PC sailings to move to if we should test positive. It was crazy hard to save up this much vacation time. I really want to be on this cruise!!

So we got our 1st PCR today just to see where we stand, whether we did have some asymptomatic case recently and just never knew it. If this is negative, we'll get another on the 20th, a week after our family has an 80th birthday dinner for my dad. I can't miss that but still need to know if I was unknowingly exposed. Then we'll do a 3rd PCR on the 27th and a rapid antigen on the 3rd before we fly. I booked a one way car rental from New Orleans just in case. After my dad's 80th birthday dinner, I plan to avoid people as much as possible except as required for work and to visit my dad. We also cancelled our plans to arrive a few days early in NOLA and do some sightseeing. We can see it some other time, on a visit that is not connected to a cruise at all, and not around Mardi Gras. We'll arrive the night before at MSY after 10:30 pm so it shouldn't be very crowded then.

At least I'll take comfort in knowing I tried as much as possible to make it happen.

 

[belle032]

I don't think we would risk cruising on a line right now that required testing at the port. We're quite comfortable with a required test 24 hours prior to boarding as it allows us to test before we leave home. At least if we test positive then, we haven't already been in a crowded airport, flown on a plane, stayed at a hotel, waited in a busy cruise terminal, and possibly infected even more people. It also negates the anxiety of planning for a possible quarantine, missing work, whatever. We're vaxxed and boosted, along with the vast majority of those getting on a cruise ship - in the overall numbers of positive cases onboard, I don't know if testing 24 hours prior vs. testing at the port makes a huge difference. So I'd rather take the less stressful route of having it done before I got there.

Not saying either choice is wrong or right, it's just preference and personal level of comfort.

 

[dreynolds1982]

At least I'll take comfort in knowing I tried as much as possible to make it happen.

Yeah this is the mindset I'm taking too. I have not been worried about getting COVID myself throughout this whole process (I have been safe and responsible though of course). I even was at home for a week with my COVID positive wife a few weeks ago and didn't try to isolate from her or anything and never got COVID (tested negative twice over that week!) All that to say, I'm not worried COVID itself. I AM worried about unknowingly having it and testing positive at the port and missing my 40th bday cruise! So I will be doing exactly what you are doing. Testing several times leading up, doing a rapid test from my hotel the morning of embarkation, etc. I plan on wearing a KN95 mask basically everywhere I go those 2 weeks leading up. Wash my hands a million times a day. Take emergenC and//or zinc daily. Etc etc. Whatever I can do to reduce my chances of testing positive as much as humanly positive. Then if it happens, I know I did all I could.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I don't think we would risk cruising on a line right now that required testing at the port. We're quite comfortable with a required test 24 hours prior to boarding as it allows us to test before we leave home. At least if we test positive then, we haven't already been in a crowded airport, flown on a plane, stayed at a hotel, waited in a busy cruise terminal, and possibly infected even more people. It also negates the anxiety of planning for a possible quarantine, missing work, whatever. We're vaxxed and boosted, along with the vast majority of those getting on a cruise ship - in the overall numbers of positive cases onboard, I don't know if testing 24 hours prior vs. testing at the port makes a huge difference. So I'd rather take the less stressful route of having it done before I got there.

Not saying either choice is wrong or right, it's just preference and personal level of comfort.

I think Disney is in a unique position compared to other cruise lines. Many of their cruise guests visit WDW prior to cruising. Not only that, many onsite guests don’t need a vehicle while onsite and dont have a need to go to a pharmacy a day or 2 before checking out.
Unless Disney resorts start offering rapid PCR testing to their guests, leaving the WDW bubble to go get a test will be continue to be a hassle. At that point, they've already flown to FL so they are beyond asking themselves, “Should I get on a plane?”

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Both of our PCR tests were negative. Yay!!
So our next test will be on the 20th.
Crossing my fingers and toes. Thankfully, test appointments are easy to get right now.