Covid testing problem

[cpmom]

Hi,

 

My husband tested positive in mid September.  He is vaccinated and had no symptoms.  According to the CDC he can test positive for up to 90 days, which would clash with our early November cruise on the Allure.  According to the CDC he is approved to travel if he has a doctor's note that he is not contagious.  He is concerned that if he still tests positive pre-cruise will he be allowed to board even with a doctor's note.  I could not find this information on the Royal Caribbean site.  Does anyone have information or encountered a similar problem?

 

Thanks for any info,

 

cpmom

[FLcruisergrl]

Unfortunately he won’t be able to travel without a negative test. 

[brillohead]

Do one of the unmonitored at-home tests you can get at Walgreens, or go to a community testing site that does it for free.  

If he's testing negative now, he'll test negative for your cruise (unless he gets it again in the meantime).

[barbeyg]

My sister tested negative just several weeks after her bout with Covid. I agree with @brillohead. Get a cheap self-test, and see if he is tests negative, if so, one concern off your plate. 
 

Good luck! 🙂

Edited October 9, 2021 by barbeyg

[GTO-Girl]

43 minutes ago, cpmom said:

Hi,

 

My husband tested positive in mid September.  He is vaccinated and had no symptoms.  According to the CDC he can test positive for up to 90 days, which would clash with our early November cruise on the Allure.  According to the CDC he is approved to travel if he has a doctor's note that he is not contagious.  He is concerned that if he still tests positive pre-cruise will he be allowed to board even with a doctor's note.  I could not find this information on the Royal Caribbean site.  Does anyone have information or encountered a similar problem?

 

Thanks for any info,

 

cpmom

This is from an email we received from Royal about our cruise next week.  It specifically says no doctors notes…😢

 

[mjkacmom]

I’m hoping they change their policy, even colleges allow proof of a positive covid test in recent weeks as a substitute for a negative test.

[WindinmySails]

4 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I’m hoping they change their policy, even colleges allow proof of a positive covid test in recent weeks as a substitute for a negative test.

 I do too, however, I don't think that will happen. I think tests are here to stay for a while considering the cruise industry was so damaged by this pandemic.  If everyone is fully vaccinated, it doesn't make all that much sense to me to have everyone test, but I do understand it and appreciate that the cruise lines are doing everything possible to make the return to cruising safe.  

 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, cpmom said:

Hi, My husband tested positive in mid September.  He is vaccinated and had no symptoms.  According to the CDC he can test positive for up to 90 days, which would clash with our early November cruise on the Allure.  According to the CDC he is approved to travel if he has a doctor's note that he is not contagious.  He is concerned that if he still tests positive pre-cruise will he be allowed to board even with a doctor's note.  I could not find this information on the Royal Caribbean site.  Does anyone have information or encountered a similar problem? Thanks for any info, cpmom

The most important thing is that the CDC does not set the cruise line rules. So, don't go to the CDC web site to figure out if you can cruise or not. Look at the cruise-specific information for your voyage (RCCL is good about sending that to you,,, frequently). 

 

If I were your husband, I would go for free testing every week until you go for your pre-cruise test. That way you *know* what the likely outcome is. 

[mjkacmom]

40 minutes ago, WindinmySails said:

 I do too, however, I don't think that will happen. I think tests are here to stay for a while considering the cruise industry was so damaged by this pandemic.  If everyone is fully vaccinated, it doesn't make all that much sense to me to have everyone test, but I do understand it and appreciate that the cruise lines are doing everything possible to make the return to cruising safe.  

 

I agree testing is here for a while, but schools are accepting proof of a recent positive covid test in place of a negative covid test, since you can get a false positive for weeks after having covid. When my high school kids had covid, they were nervous they would not be cleared for spring sports because they were still testing positive, but the school amended their policy of requiring a negative test for participation. 

[cpmom]

Thanks for the replies.  My husband was sure that the CDC information would be used by cruise line.  I think we will get him tested a week or so before our sail date.  That way at least we know.  Thanks, everyone!

 

[brillohead]

2 minutes ago, cpmom said:

Thanks for the replies.  My husband was sure that the CDC information would be used by cruise line.  I think we will get him tested a week or so before our sail date.  That way at least we know.  Thanks, everyone!

 

Why not get him tested now?  When he tests negative, you can breathe a sigh of relief and not have it looming over you until the week before your cruise?

[Itchy&Scratchy]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Look at the cruise-specific information for your voyage (RCCL is good about sending that to you,,, frequently). 

it is? I haven't gotten any info from RCCL about my cruise, besides the email that my check-in is complete and that the ship is now sailing at 5 pm instead of 4:30 pm.

[bulldogmommy]

5 hours ago, cpmom said:

Hi,

 

My husband tested positive in mid September.  He is vaccinated and had no symptoms.  According to the CDC he can test positive for up to 90 days, which would clash with our early November cruise on the Allure.  According to the CDC he is approved to travel if he has a doctor's note that he is not contagious.  He is concerned that if he still tests positive pre-cruise will he be allowed to board even with a doctor's note.  I could not find this information on the Royal Caribbean site.  Does anyone have information or encountered a similar problem?

 

Thanks for any info,

 

cpmom

Same situation here, my husband vaccinated and had antibody treatment.  We had him rapid testing at a community site about 10 days after positive test. Came back negative…sailing in 2 weeks!

[chucknmarilyn]

2 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

it is? I haven't gotten any info from RCCL about my cruise, besides the email that my check-in is complete and that the ship is now sailing at 5 pm instead of 4:30 pm.

Everything is on the website and is updated regularly.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 minute ago, chucknmarilyn said:

Everything is on the website and is updated regularly.

I know that. I was responding to the phrase about RCI being good about sending the information to you frequently.

Heck, I didn't even hear from RCI after I emailed them about a balance that mysteriously appeared after I made the final payment and they moved the final payment date out.

[AustinCruise]

I’d go to the local drug store or grocery store pharmacy and pickup a test at home antigen kit. It should cost less than $25 for a box that contains two. 

it takes 15 minutes.  
 

No, I don’t see them amending rules to allow a doctors note.

[Sunshine3601]

7 hours ago, cpmom said:

Thanks for the replies.  My husband was sure that the CDC information would be used by cruise line.  I think we will get him tested a week or so before our sail date.  That way at least we know.  Thanks, everyone!

 

My husband had covid last february, spent a couple days in the hospital and he tested negative 2 weeks after his release.  

Go test this week just to see what result he gets and hopefully that will ease your mind.

[fredflint]

I would be getting a free test every few days and see how they come out.  One test positive or negative is not really  written in  stone.  Since they do a nasal swap I would also see about doing nasal irrigation if he can do it .

 

https://fox17.com/news/local/researchers-find-some-mouthwashes-nasal-rinses-could-help-protect-against-coronavirus-spread-masks-social-distance-covid-19

 

You need a negative test and knowing before you try to go is important.

[cruisin from florida]

1 hour ago, AustinCruise said:

I’d go to the local drug store or grocery store pharmacy and pickup a test at home antigen kit. It should cost less than $25 for a box that contains two. 

it takes 15 minutes.  
 

No, I don’t see them amending rules to allow a doctors note.

Those are available from Walmart for $14 for two tests. We purchased 4 boxes a couple of weeks ago.

[smokeybandit]

The "test positive 90 days later" is the PCR test.

 

Just take the rapid test and you'll be fine.

[cnjoy26]

do a rapid test! it's more likely to not show as possible since it's less effective, lol. 

[PigsCanFly]

10 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

I agree testing is here for a while, but schools are accepting proof of a recent positive covid test in place of a negative covid test, since you can get a false positive for weeks after having covid. When my high school kids had covid, they were nervous they would not be cleared for spring sports because they were still testing positive, but the school amended their policy of requiring a negative test for participation. 

Why would a positive covid test be accepted in place of a negative test.  What am I missing?

[brillohead]

15 minutes ago, PigsCanFly said:

Why would a positive covid test be accepted in place of a negative test.  What am I missing?

If someone has a verified case of COVID a few weeks previous, plus a positive test now, they could be testing positive as "leftovers" from the previous infection, versus a current/contagious infection. 

If you test positive now, but you also have a positive test from a few weeks previous, that would / should be "proof" that you're not TRULY positive now.

(Note that most people who have a positive case of COVID do NOT test positive a couple weeks later... it's just something that CAN happen.) 

[Chauncey Picklepants]

14 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

it is? I haven't gotten any info from RCCL about my cruise, besides the email that my check-in is complete and that the ship is now sailing at 5 pm instead of 4:30 pm.

Sailing in a month and haven’t received one single email from Royal Caribbean ever, except their redundant sales emails. Not even one about the 2-day Covid testing protocols or vaccination requirements. Nothing. But the sales emails are daily. If it were not for cruise critic, I’d be completely in the dark. 

Edited October 10, 2021 by Chauncey Picklepants

[mjkacmom]

7 hours ago, brillohead said:

If someone has a verified case of COVID a few weeks previous, plus a positive test now, they could be testing positive as "leftovers" from the previous infection, versus a current/contagious infection. 

If you test positive now, but you also have a positive test from a few weeks previous, that would / should be "proof" that you're not TRULY positive now.

(Note that most people who have a positive case of COVID do NOT test positive a couple weeks later... it's just something that CAN happen.) 

Yes, my son’s friend missed a lot of the winter track season because he had a lingering positive, even though he was 2+ weeks out from his initial positive test result.