Testing and offer of assistance clarified...at least for now.

[roger001]

I wrote NCL the following and here is their answer.  

 

My question:       

 I need clarification on an issue.  I've received conflicting statements about it.   Specifically, would you firmly and clearly answer the following.  

 

The attached link is from your FAQ on the NCL website.  It says yes, NCL will provide travel and expense assistance if a guest tests positive at check in.  It doesn't mention the previously required 72 hour, then changed to 96 hour negative test a guest must have had previously in order to qualify for this now mentioned assistance.  I will assume that this negative test is still a requirement though.  But where is it stated now?  And other than in the FAQs where is this offer of assistance stated now.  

 

Will you then please confirm or deny that assistance is still being offered?   Will you confirm that the negative test is still required to receive this assistance?  And if so, will you confirm whether the test is now required either 72 or now 96 hours before sailing, which? 

 

NCL answer:

Good morning.
The test you are referring to is not a requirement for boarding but highly recommended to be taken 96 hours prior to sailing. However, if you do not take the test prior to sailing and cannot show negative results from said test and then test positive at the pier, no assistance will be given. If you take the test and can provide a negative result, in the event you do test positive at the pier assistance will be provided.

 

 

 

[kdmbluerzr]

Sounds like nothing has changed other than the test prior to travel timing went from 72 hours to 96 hours.  Thanks for sharing your info. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

Thanks.  Very helpful.  Hopefully that will clear up some of the confusion around this.

[cruising sister]

Thank you so much for doing that. We sail the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we can do our PCR test on Tuesday and know the results before we fly Thursday. 

[Falckon]

What assistance will they provide?

[psac]

5 minutes ago, Falckon said:

What assistance will they provide?

It likely varies by port, but in the case posted here on CC in Seattle for an Alaskan cruise they covered the cost of a hotel room and $100/day in meals for the quarantine period until they could fly back home. 

Edited October 30, 2021 by psac

[exgman]

I just received my booking confirmation and the statement roger posted is in my docs. I booked through NCL and the agent told me they would give me a future cruise credit equal to my full booking fee. So far I haven’t been able to find anything in writing on the website or my docs. 

[gatorchinsky]

Can it be an antigen test or does it have to be a PCR?

[exgman]

They are recommending a PCR test 96 hours before boarding. At the dock, NCL will administer an antigen test. If it’s positive, they’ll give you a PCR test to confirm. 

[kdmbluerzr]

NCL recommends a PCR test, but states a proctored antigen test is acceptable if getting a PCR test is not available for you to receive. Hoping that remains in place, where I live, currently, they will not allow you to get a Covid test of any kind for purposes of travel. So I ordered the Abbott BinaxNOW home test kits that are proctored via Navica.  Several CC folks that have cruised with NCL since restart have posted info about using these kits prior to travel for their cruise.  So that's what I am going with. 

[roger001]

In the morning, we are going down to our County Health Dept and get one of their free PCR tests.  I'm doing it so I can monitor their turn around time.  They say 24 to 48 hours.  I'll then do another prior to cruising.  

[tinygrashopa]

I’m wondering the benefit or need to test if we live in California and will be driving to the port.  If we test positive we can just drive home and would not need assistance. Is there any tie to getting reimbursed if we do test positive?  

[DAVLIB007]

They did change the wording on their webpage. before it said 72 hours and used the wording of covering quarantine cost etc. now it says 96 hours and  only says help with traveling arrangements 

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, kdmbluerzr said:

NCL recommends a PCR test, but states a proctored antigen test is acceptable if getting a PCR test is not available for you to receive.

Where did you read the bolded part?  I could have gotten an PCR test but opted for the antigen since I was guaranteed to have my results back very quickly.  I didn't want to wait a day for the PCR results.

[kdmbluerzr]

18 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Where did you read the bolded part?  I could have gotten an PCR test but opted for the antigen since I was guaranteed to have my results back very quickly.  I didn't want to wait a day for the PCR results.

It is part of the NCL Refund and Cancellation Policy for Covid-19. I received an email on Oct 25th with a PDF attachment that outlines all the Travel Requirements Important Information.  It is under the bold heading "Denial of Embarkation or Reboarding; Quarantine and/or Disembarkation**.  It starts out with   **We strongly encourage all guests to take a Covid-19 PCR test within 96 hours prior to their travel date as an added precaution. If a PCR test is not readily available, then we encourage guests to at a minimum take an Covid-19 antigen test, prior to travel." 

You can go to the NCL website and find this policy document as well. 

[gatorchinsky]

If you do not test before your cruise (which we definitely would) and test positive at the pier and denied boarding, does NCL refund your cruise, give you FCC or just say sorry you lose all your money?

[dobiemom]

3 hours ago, tinygrashopa said:

I’m wondering the benefit or need to test if we live in California and will be driving to the port.  If we test positive we can just drive home and would not need assistance. Is there any tie to getting reimbursed if we do test positive?  

I am also driving to the port. The ONLY reason I am getting a test prior to boarding is to check out the CVS “system” for testing. Otherwise I would not be getting a test. 
 

I am flying to NOLA in January for a cruise and will definitely need a test prior. I’ve paid for two previous tests through Covidclinic.org (one for a cruise, one for work). Antigen results in 15 minutes, PCR results in less than 72 hours. Hoping CVS is truly free. May also check out a local testing site. 

[milolii]

@roger001 Thanks for clarifying (for now anyway) amd starting this thread.  

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, kdmbluerzr said:

It is part of the NCL Refund and Cancellation Policy for Covid-19. I received an email on Oct 25th with a PDF attachment that outlines all the Travel Requirements Important Information.  It is under the bold heading "Denial of Embarkation or Reboarding; Quarantine and/or Disembarkation**.  It starts out with   **We strongly encourage all guests to take a Covid-19 PCR test within 96 hours prior to their travel date as an added precaution. If a PCR test is not readily available, then we encourage guests to at a minimum take an Covid-19 antigen test, prior to travel." 

You can go to the NCL website and find this policy document as well. 

Thanks.  In my case PCR tests were available in my area, but I have no idea what constitutes "readily available."  I'll bet five bucks that NCL doesn't define "readily" anywhere in the fine print (which I'm really not going to pursue).  I got the antigen because it assured me of getting the quickest results.  In the event of a positive, I needed to cancel hotel (48 hours prior to checkin) and cancel airline.  

 

They sort of contradict themselves when they go on to state:

"Norwegian Cruise Line will assist with expenses related to any mandatory quarantine that are not covered by their travel insurance only if the guest provides proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken within 96-hours of their travel date. "  IOW, they'll help me if I can provide proof of a negative antigen test (they don't say that in addition I have to prove that a PCR test was not "readily" available.)  Covid was never fun and it still isn't.

[greatestvalue]

5 hours ago, tinygrashopa said:

Is there any tie to getting reimbursed if we do test positive?  

Im sorry I didnt reread the policies to see if it says anything about refund for the cruise itself, Im actually so sick of reading them.

 

I have an antigen will be taking it before the cruise within the timeframe and by golly, at this point just want to cruise...LOL 
 

But would the tie be a refund and/or FCC for the cruise itself? 

 

We too are from CA but wont be driving down to the port. 

[kdmbluerzr]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Thanks.  In my case PCR tests were available in my area, but I have no idea what constitutes "readily available."  I'll bet five bucks that NCL doesn't define "readily" anywhere in the fine print (which I'm really not going to pursue).  I got the antigen because it assured me of getting the quickest results.  In the event of a positive, I needed to cancel hotel (48 hours prior to checkin) and cancel airline.  

 

They sort of contradict themselves when they go on to state:

"Norwegian Cruise Line will assist with expenses related to any mandatory quarantine that are not covered by their travel insurance only if the guest provides proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken within 96-hours of their travel date. "  IOW, they'll help me if I can provide proof of a negative antigen test (they don't say that in addition I have to prove that a PCR test was not "readily" available.)  Covid was never fun and it still isn't.

Certainly a lot of gray area in the small print. And IF it would be necessary to provide proof that a PCR test is not "readily" available, what EXACTLY would that proof be? Living in the state of Idaho and flying from Boise, I could probably obtain said proof, however, that would not only be a huge pain in my a**, but theirs as well. Can't imagine they would take that path.  

[BirdTravels]

On 10/30/2021 at 10:23 AM, exgman said:

I just received my booking confirmation and the statement roger posted is in my docs. I booked through NCL and the agent told me they would give me a future cruise credit equal to my full booking fee. So far I haven’t been able to find anything in writing on the website or my docs. 

https://www.ncl.com/refund-and-cancellation-policy-covid-19
 

Denial of Embarkation or Reboarding; Quarantine and/or Disembarkation**

• If you, your family members, travelling companions or other close contacts are denied embarkation or reboarding, or are quarantined or disembarked during the voyage, due to a positive COVID-19 test or being suspected of having COVID-19, you and they are entitled to a prorated refund, or an optional Future Cruise Credit (“FCC”), for the amount paid to Norwegian in the event of denial at embarkation, or the unused portion of your fare in all other cases 
• Guests denied embarkation or reboarding, or who are disembarked or quarantined during the voyage, for failure to comply with the Norwegian COVID-19 Policies and Procedures shall not be entitled to a refund or compensation of any kind. Please refer to the Cruise Ticket Contract issued for your cruise for complete details.

[BirdTravels]

36 minutes ago, kdmbluerzr said:

Certainly a lot of gray area in the small print. And IF it would be necessary to provide proof that a PCR test is not "readily" available, what EXACTLY would that proof be? Living in the state of Idaho and flying from Boise, I could probably obtain said proof, however, that would not only be a huge pain in my a**, but theirs as well. Can't imagine they would take that path.  

There is absolutely no gray area if you refer to the written policy vs. random speculation on Cruise Critic. 

https://www.ncl.com/sail-safe

 

Do I need to take a COVID-19 test prior to arrival at the terminal?

We strongly encourage all guests to take a COVID-19 PCR test within 96-hours prior to their sail date as an added precaution. If a PCR test is not readily available, then we encourage guests to at a minimum take a COVID-19 antigen test, prior to travel. Please note that many countries are now requiring this, and requirements vary based on guest nationality, so we strongly urge you to check the official website of the country you are flying to, connecting through, or sailing to before travelling in order to comply with their requirements.

 

As a reminder, all guests are responsible for checking on travel restrictions and complying with all requirements. NCL recommends for all guests to follow, and where possible, sign up for notifications from their local government on international travel regulations that may prevent, restrict, or require additional documentation when traveling to another country for embarkation or during their cruise.

 

Please note: If a guest receives a positive COVID test at the pier testing at arrival, they will be denied boarding and will likely be required to quarantine by local officials. Norwegian Cruise Line will assist with expenses related to any mandatory quarantine that are not covered by their travel insurance only if the guest provides proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken within 96-hours of their travel date. Guests who are unable to provide proof of a negative test taken within 96-hours of their travel date will not qualify for reimbursement should the applicable expenses not be covered by their travel insurance.

• Proof of negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken within 96-hours of travel date must show guest name, date of birth and date the test was taken in order to be eligible.

Edited October 31, 2021 by BirdTravels

[gmbhardy]

Glad to see that everything is as clear as mud.

[BirdTravels]

2 minutes ago, gmbhardy said:

Glad to see that everything is as clear as mud.

What is unclear about the last two posts? What don’t you understand?

Edited November 1, 2021 by BirdTravels