We Tested Positive For Covid at the Port and Here's What Happened

[DisneyConvert]

If this was Florida . . . you are a rental-car or even AmTrak train-ride (or a TSA/CDC plane trip away) to get home . . .
Or you can enjoy your vacation at several hundred different beach resorts.
Good luck on changing one's flight and/or getting the airline to credit you for the return trip.

Hearing stories like this happening to generally healthy, careful, even vaccinated people makes DW and I seriously reconsider our Hawaii-B2B cruises in April-May. We are triple-vaxx'ed, very healthy, but a little older and I am fat.

Running the following gauntlet for a supposedly "relaxing" vacation that would cost us $xx,xxx does not seem to be a good idea:
1. We fly from EWR to YVR, internationally and try to "immigrate" into Canada . . . there's a test there.
2. Presuming we arrive on time, we take a hotel night in Vancouver, and then attempt to board the Wonder
3. We get tested before we disembark in Oahu, or even the other Hawaii'n islands prior (not sure what happens if we contract Covid on the cruise)
4. We dis-embark at Oahu . . and then get tested again . . . hoping we pass, because our ride back to our airport is 10 more days of cruising on the Wonder
5. We get tested before we disembark in Vancouver . . good luck getting out of Canada into the US if we pick up Covid.
6. One more time, we get tested before we try to board our flights into the US . . .
What could go wrong!?

Meanwhile over the past 2 years, I have taken 5 week-long trips via personal automobile and AmTrak/bus to Maine, Tennessee, Georgia and St Louis and have stayed healthy and just as importantly, not have to be quarantined inside a room for 10/5 days for symptoms that are basically flu-like.

 

[mousefan73]

If this was Florida . . . you are a rental-car or even AmTrak train-ride (or a TSA/CDC plane trip away) to get home . . .
Or you can enjoy your vacation at several hundred different beach resorts.
Good luck on changing one's flight and/or getting the airline to credit you for the return trip.

Hearing stories like this happening to generally healthy, careful, even vaccinated people makes DW and I seriously reconsider our Hawaii-B2B cruises in April-May. We are triple-vaxx'ed, very healthy, but a little older and I am fat.

Running the following gauntlet for a supposedly "relaxing" vacation that would cost us $xx,xxx does not seem to be a good idea:
1. We fly from EWR to YVR, internationally and try to "immigrate" into Canada . . . there's a test there.
2. Presuming we arrive on time, we take a hotel night in Vancouver, and then attempt to board the Wonder
3. We get tested before we disembark in Oahu, or even the other Hawaii'n islands prior (not sure what happens if we contract Covid on the cruise)
4. We dis-embark at Oahu . . and then get tested again . . . hoping we pass, because our ride back to our airport is 10 more days of cruising on the Wonder
5. We get tested before we disembark in Vancouver . . good luck getting out of Canada into the US if we pick up Covid.
6. One more time, we get tested before we try to board our flights into the US . . .
What could go wrong!?

Meanwhile over the past 2 years, I have taken 5 week-long trips via personal automobile and AmTrak/bus to Maine, Tennessee, Georgia and St Louis and have stayed healthy and just as importantly, not have to be quarantined inside a room for 10/5 days for symptoms that are basically flu-like.

I totally get it. We are also booked on the westbound HI. I was actually thinking the other day at the B2B folks have more challenges. There’s even a few booked from SFO up to YVR and basically do an a B2B2B.
I have been watching the grand princess that just left Honolulu last night and it seems they only test once on board and that’s it. There is no other testing to arrive in Hawaii. Granted though this boat sales from LA. It’s an open question if the pre-boarding Covid test in Canada counts as US entry test. Which it should because for me to fly in from EU to the US I just need an antigen test and I can use that for so many different things within those 24 hours.

Seeing how things have been going smoothly on the grand princess from LA I have been playing with the thought of actually canceling and may be rebooking on that sailing. My heart breaks because I really want the one-way on Disney.

When it comes to the PIA’s with testing I have now joined the group that really hopes Disney would move any Vancouver sailing to Seattle. Even as an international person flying in from Europe flying into the US is a lot easier than Canada. But I don’t think this is going to happen I can’t see the cruise lines changing their home ports for the spring season that fast unless DCL has been working magic in the background. I just know that I don’t want to have a positive result in Canada. For those flying in from anywhere to get on an Alaska cruise must be thinking the same thing

Just to clarify Hawaii does not require a negative corona test as an entry requirement if you’re coming in “domestically”. What they do require though for cruise ships is that they screen their passengers. This is where a negative test will not allow you to leave the ship. The only thing Hawaii requires that you upload your vaxx status to bypass quarantine.

The whole thing just makes me sad because the idea of testing positive in Canada freaks me out and I also check that for an international air arrivals Have to have a “quarantine plan” submitted that shows you were prepared and able to pay for quarantine. So I don’t know if this includes air travel coming in from the US or not?? Just the past few days I’ve been really thinking about the ramifications of what it means to travel into Canada to get on a cruise ship and I’m just not liking it. So the princess Hawaii cruise from San Francisco and LA are looking a lot better right now. It just breaks my heart because they’re not DCL

 

[MomOTwins]

I know nothing about tests, but I thought a PCR test took awhile to get results

That used to be true for about the first year of the pandemic, because only diagnostic labs had the capability to run the PCR tests, so samples had to be sent out to a distant lab to be tested. Sometime around last summer/fall, they came out with rapid PCR test that many pharmacies, urgent cares, and places like DCL could administer and process on site, with results in under 30 mins. This is called the ID Now, NAAT or rapid PCR test. It is only about 2% less reliable than full lab-based PCR test. Much more reliable than a rapid antigen test.

 

[teetee830]

We arrived at port canaveral in 2 cars (my immediate family in one car, 4 other family members in another), and asked not to drop off our luggage until after we tested. They pushed back a little, but agreed.

Can you expand on how you kept the luggage and how you dropped off after testing? Did you walk it down after the negative and clear to sail?

This is exactly why I decided to drive to port instead of flying. I was afraid of something like this happening. I've prepped my son that we are driving from Indiana and canceled the two days at WDW after just in case. However, if we are denied boarding it will be me not my son crying. What I'm leaning is to drop off luggage after testing and have snacks/lunch in the car.

Thanks to both posters for their posts on the process and what did or did not go smoothly.

 

[Mommb]

I know now that I will definitely only bring a carry-on bag and keep it with me the whole time. If I have to debate with someone to keep it with me, so be it- I won't just passively let them take it because their default is to try to take it.

My familiy has always boarded a cruise with a carry-on bag for each of us and never had anyone pressure us to take them -- we simply indicate the bags that we have labeled to go with the porters and say "Please take these, and the other bags will stay with us." Going forward, I will make sure I have ample sealed snack food in my carry-on in case we are delayed. I agree that it would be desirable for the cruise line to provide such snacks, and that making people sit for hours without communication is cruel.

 

[zuzu310]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I wish Disney had been more forthcoming about what happens in this situation but now we see why they haven't been. They basically treated you guys like second rate citizens. I'm kind of sick of the world "criminalizing" people who test positive in general. It's time to move on.

 

[mmouse37]

And let's not forget that you could be totally recovered from Covid yet still test positive at the port....I read between 10 and 30% of people, for whatever reason, can still test positive on a PCR (not rapid antigen) up to 12 weeks post infection. That is crazy. So, you could technically test negative on a rapid test the day before you fly but test positive at the port the next day.

 

[DCLMP]

Right? What are you supposed to do there? Can you fly if you're asymptomatic? Would save a really long drive if it happens to us in a few weeks.

You can work if you're asymptomatic. Why couldn't you fly?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I keep seeing people getting upset about at-port testing, but these ships are going to Caribbean islands with vaccination rates ranging from 35-90% of eligible 12+ citizens. It's not just about being on a boat full of vaccinated people, it's about the people whose country you will be porting at.

 

[Marthasor]

In a car, I doubt people were wearing masks. It's required on the bus.

Excellent point. However, I've been on the WDW buses where masks are "required". It is definitely not 100% masking on those buses and, other than the bus driver occasionally reminding people they need masks as they enter the bus, it is definitely not being enforced. But I can understand why DCL would point to the mask policy as a reason to allow guests who were in contact with a positive case on the bus to board the ship.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I keep seeing people getting upset about at-port testing, but these ships are going to Caribbean islands with vaccination rates ranging from 35-90% of eligible 12+ citizens. It's not just about being on a boat full of vaccinated people, it's about the people whose country you will be porting at.

I don't see people complaining about not being allowed to sail while positive, I think that's a no-brainer. No one wants to take Covid to the ports and spread it around. The issue is with the process they have implemented and what happens logistically when you're testing at the port. It would be much easier to allow testing to happen prior to arriving at the port and just provide the negative test results.

 

[aboveH20]

I'm so sorry your family was denied boarding. I can't imagine how hard it was for your kids.

THANK YOU for taking the time to write such a detailed account of what happened. That is exactly what I was looking for before our Jan 3. cruise. We finally canceled because of the uncertainly (and cost!) of what being denied boarding would involve.

We tested ahead of time, but knew the only test that mattered was the one at the port.

Glad you were able to make the best of your experience.

 

[DLgal]

I don't see people complaining about not being allowed to sail while positive, I think that's a no-brainer. No one wants to take Covid to the ports and spread it around. The issue is with the process they have implemented and what happens logistically when you're testing at the port. It would be much easier to allow testing to happen prior to arriving at the port and just provide the negative test results.

I think the reason they don't allow people to get the test elsewhere is because they require DAY OF testing and it's just not feasible to expect travelers to get that done in time the morning of sailing. We know by now that a test even 24 hours old is not a reliable indicator of infection status.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think the reason they don't allow people to get the test elsewhere is because they require DAY OF testing and it's just not feasible to expect travelers to get that done in time the morning of sailing. We know by now that a test even 24 hours old is not a reliable indicator of infection status.

And realistically, that day-of test doesn't account for exposure on route to port. But it's slightly better than a 3-day old test.

Many people testing pos at port may have been clean 3 days out. That's the reality. Many people clean at port may not be by end of cruise. I am reading of a lot of people testing positive trying to go home (Canadians), which suggests people not testing may also be positive but not required to find out.

This isn't to say that DCL hasn't had, what, 4 months to figure out a process that isn't a goat rodeo when a family tests positive. This falls into that bucket I keep referring to, of DCL's communications being awful.

 

[Kwami]

You can work if you're asymptomatic. Why couldn't you fly?

That's not true. The CDC says that you can work if you're vaccinated, asymptomatic, and *exposed* to Covid-19. Not if you test positive for Covid-19.

Also, when you check in for a flight, you state that you haven't tested positive for the virus or been exposed to the virus in the last 10 days. There might not be a legal penalty for lying about that, but the airlines have been banning people (often for life) when they find liars. So, that's another risk to consider.

 

[DLgal]

You can work if you're asymptomatic. Why couldn't you fly?

You can work after day 5 only if you are positive but completely asymptomatic. Day zero is the day you tested positive.

So, regardless of symptoms, if you test positive, you are looking at at least a 5 day quarantine.

 

[DCLMP]

That's not true. The CDC says that you can work if you're vaccinated, asymptomatic, and *exposed* to Covid-19. Not if you test positive for Covid-19.

Also, when you check in for a flight, you state that you haven't tested positive for the virus or been exposed to the virus in the last 10 days. There might not be a legal penalty for lying about that, but the airlines have been banning people (often for life) when they find liars. So, that's another risk to consider.

Not true. The quarantine period is changed to 5 days. You can return to work if you are asymptomatic. You know there are thousands of people getting on planes that Covid positive.

 

[KayKayJS]

So sorry this happened. DCL definitely needs to do better - you should've had your luggage and been out of there quickly.

This was a good reminder for me to keep our luggage with us on our cruise next week. Luckily we live an hour away and it won't be the end of the world if we can't board. But I would NOT be happy to wait 8 hours with my 2 year old.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I think the reason they don't allow people to get the test elsewhere is because they require DAY OF testing and it's just not feasible to expect travelers to get that done in time the morning of sailing. We know by now that a test even 24 hours old is not a reliable indicator of infection status.

Yes and it makes sense why they do it, but if that's their policy they definitely need to do a better job of handling the positive cases.

NCL is changing their policy beginning March 1, to a test within 2 days of arrival at the pier. No more testing at the pier. I assume due to the logistical issues of testing positive upon arrival.

Cruises with embarkation dates beginning March 1, 2022:
At time of check-in, all guests will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 antigen or PCR test result administered by a verified third party or via medically supervised home test (i.e. https://www.emed.com/ or BioReference's Scarlet service - BioReference sends a trained Scarlet Health Professional to your home to collect your COVID-19 test specimen), within two days prior to boarding for cruises originating in a U.S. port and three days prior for voyages departing from a non-U.S. port. Guests are also responsible for complying with all local health and safety requirements which may include additional testing.

 

[Kwami]

Not true. The quarantine period is changed to 5 days. You can return to work if you are asymptomatic. You know there are thousands of people getting on planes that Covid positive.

OK, *after 5 days*, if you're still asymptomatic, and you wear a mask, and (ideally) if you get a negative test. You can't just go back to MCO and fly home.