Was scheduled to be at Castaway Cay today, but Covid positive test

[CaptainAmerica]

my sympathies on a crazy situation. I'm so tempted to book a cruise - I love them! But have to physically stop myself every time because of stories like these.

I reaaaaaaaally want to go on the 5-night double dip out of Miami over spring break but I reaaaaaaaaaaally don't want to be stuck in Miami with no hotel and unable to fly home the week of Easter.

 

[MomOTwins]

Could be? One would think after 1 inconclusive test, they'd take that variable out of the equation and let the trained staff collect the sample though. Who knows... Just a very odd situation all around with inconclusive, negative, positive.

I'm skeptical that much of the staff there are actually trained nurses. Pretty much all they have to do give some basic instructions, collect the bag of samples, deliver it to the folks running the test, and give people directions to tents. They do have a medical professional on site to talk with patients who answer yes to something on the questionnaire and have a conversation with the people who test positive, but I suspect that the bulk of the staff there are not trained/qualified to administer the test and that's why they are self-administered.

Inconclusive, in the case of a covid test, is different from "invalid." An invalid test is usually user error (not enough mucus). But an "inconclusive" result usually means a small amount of viral DNA was identified but it was not enough to test positive. In general, inconclusive should be treated as positive pending re-testing to rule out a positive. It can mean OP was either (1) at the tail end recently concluded a prior infection, or (2) at the very start of an infection--e.g., got infected that day or the day before--but tested too early for the virus to multiply enough to generate a positive result (at least at first). In scenario 2, it would be extremely unwise for DCL to allow you on a cruise ship because you would only become more and more contagious as the cruise went on. Which is why OP was denied boarding.

Just wanted to explain because it seems to be that some people are under the misconception that inclusive means something was wrong with the test or the test takers, when in reality, it was working exactly as intended--flagging a possible early Covid infection that could be confirmed by a subsequent test.

And one positive test plus one negative test is not a tie/draw as someone said. There is actually no such thing as a "negative" or "not Covid" test result, only a "not detected" result, meaning there was no Covid virus in detected in the sample although you could still have it in your body and it just didn't make it in the swab. A positive test means you do have the virus--there's no real possibility of a false positive except in cases where a sample is switched or cross-contaminated, so that is very rare. And with multiple inconclusives, that is obviously not what is going on here.

 

[tvguy]

Triple vaccinated, NO symptoms, but not sailing. 3 days later still no symptoms and still not sailing. Quarantine.

That's the pits. But the system worked. You are contagious and keeping contagious people off the ships is the whole reason for the testing.

 

[princesscinderella]

I’m so sorry OP that you didn’t get to go on your cruise. Thanks for sharing your story so we future cruisers can come up with a game plan if it happens to us. I told my husband that we are going to all get covid tests at 30 days before sailing just in case they show up positive we can claim the 90 day exception. We are all vaccinated and boosted so I’m really hoping after the Omnicon wave burns out and the cruise lines no longer under the CDC sail order that testing at the port will fall by the wayside since we are ever closer to herd immunity.

 

[MoonFaerie]

A false positive is incredibly rare. It's more you do have COVID, but are asymptomatic, not a false positive. You can also be contagious if you're asymptomatic, so the idea to go to Disney World for 3 days after just testing positive seems.... how do I put this....

I'm immunocompromised, and I have lots of ways to put it. None Dis friendly though, so I'll just say if I wasn't sure about still wearing KN95s all day, every day and wasn't already scheduled for dose 4 this Friday, I'd be extra sure now.

 

[dreynolds1982]

We are all vaccinated and boosted so I’m really hoping after the Omnicon wave burns out and the cruise lines no longer under the CDC sail order that testing at the port will fall by the wayside since we are ever closer to herd immunity.

I'm really really with ya on that one. We cruise the last week of March for my 40th bday. I'm not expecting things to change that much by then but man it would be awesome if they would at least drop the at port testing (tho I seriously doubt they will). We're fully vaxxed, boosted, and careful. I will wear a mask wherever they tell me to. I just don't want to be sitting there at the port in my "Cruising into my 40's" etsy shirt (yup, that's right) sweating bullets for 1 hr waiting for what seems to be a really wonky process to decide my fate...

 

[Freeman867]

I'm immunocompromised, and I have lots of ways to put it. None Dis friendly though, so I'll just say if I wasn't sure about still wearing KN95s all day, every day and wasn't already scheduled for dose 4 this Friday, I'd be extra sure now.

Right? People's complete disregard for other people during this pandemic is what's shocked me the most. The extreme selfishness of Americans is really shining its ugly light.

 

[Kwami]

Right? People's complete disregard for other people during this pandemic is what's shocked me the most. The extreme selfishness of Americans is really shining its ugly light.

It's really not just Americans. We're not special.

 

[tvguy]

It's really not just Americans. We're not special.

Well, we seem to be better at it. I have to wonder if we would be in a better place today if EVERYONE had followed protocols 22 months ago.

 

[LA Poolboy]

I'm skeptical that much of the staff there are actually trained nurses. Pretty much all they have to do give some basic instructions, collect the bag of samples, deliver it to the folks running the test, and give people directions to tents. They do have a medical professional on site to talk with patients who answer yes to something on the questionnaire and have a conversation with the people who test positive, but I suspect that the bulk of the staff there are not trained/qualified to administer the test and that's why they are self-administered.

Inconclusive, in the case of a covid test, is different from "invalid." An invalid test is usually user error (not enough mucus). But an "inconclusive" result usually means a small amount of viral DNA was identified but it was not enough to test positive. In general, inconclusive should be treated as positive pending re-testing to rule out a positive. It can mean OP was either (1) at the tail end recently concluded a prior infection, or (2) at the very start of an infection--e.g., got infected that day or the day before--but tested too early for the virus to multiply enough to generate a positive result (at least at first). In scenario 2, it would be extremely unwise for DCL to allow you on a cruise ship because you would only become more and more contagious as the cruise went on. Which is why OP was denied boarding.

Just wanted to explain because it seems to be that some people are under the misconception that inclusive means something was wrong with the test or the test takers, when in reality, it was working exactly as intended--flagging a possible early Covid infection that could be confirmed by a subsequent test.

And one positive test plus one negative test is not a tie/draw as someone said. There is actually no such thing as a "negative" or "not Covid" test result, only a "not detected" result, meaning there was no Covid virus in detected in the sample although you could still have it in your body and it just didn't make it in the swab. A positive test means you do have the virus--there's no real possibility of a false positive except in cases where a sample is switched or cross-contaminated, so that is very rare. And with multiple inconclusives, that is obviously not what is going on here.

Thank you for this information presented very logically. I still feel well so I must be one of those asymptomatic positive cases.

 

[BmarieT]

A false positive is incredibly rare. It's more you do have COVID, but are asymptomatic, not a false positive. You can also be contagious if you're asymptomatic, so the idea to go to Disney World for 3 days after just testing positive seems.... how do I put this....

Actually it is NOT incredibly rare! If you have had Covid in the last 90 days the PCR test will come up positive. This happened to us and the ship physician told us that if we could prove that the person that tested positive had Covid in the last 90 days we could board the ship. It is ridiculous that DCL doesn't do the antigen test if the person comes up positive but has no symptoms. We are all fully vaccinated afterall.

 

[Kwami]

Actually it is NOT incredibly rare! If you have had Covid in the last 90 days the PCR test will come up positive. This happened to us and the ship physician told us that if we could prove that the person that tested positive had Covid in the last 90 days we could board the ship. It is ridiculous that DCL doesn't do the antigen test if the person comes up positive but has no symptoms. We are all fully vaccinated afterall.

Most people won't continue to test positive on PCR tests once they've recovered. However, some people do continue to test positive. So, Disney does allow you to be exempt from the PCR test if you upload to Safe Passage a positive test result from within the last 90 days before embarkation and a doctor's note clearing you to travel.

An antigen test wouldn't be very useful in this situation. They're really only good for serial testing or for people with symptoms.

 

[BmarieT]

Most people won't continue to test positive on PCR tests once they've recovered. However, some people do continue to test positive. So, Disney does allow you to be exempt from the PCR test if you upload to Safe Passage a positive test result from within the last 90 days before embarkation and a doctor's note clearing you to travel.

An antigen test wouldn't be very useful in this situation. They're really only good for serial testing or for people with symptoms.

So you know more than the ship's doctor? They were just talking about this on the news last night on NBC also.

 

[Kwami]

So you know more than the ship's doctor? They were just talking about this on the news last night on NBC also.

What did I write that contradicts the ship's doctor?

 

[CamColt]

To the OP, I am very sorry this happened to you. I can't begin to imagine the disappointment you must be feeling.

I am also sorry that I have to close this thread as it has gotten out of hand and just about any post now is breaking the rules or quoting someone who is. Since you don't have a specific question you need answered and your experience is here to share I will lock the thread now. Thank you for sharing your experience.