Anyone been denied boarding NCL because of this

[sprint180]

OK Yes I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably over reacting and yes I have insurance.

My cruise is 4 months away.  I just tested positive for covid and the nurse said I could test positive for 3 months.  Has this actually happened to any of you, getting denied because of covid months after you had it?

Thanks.

[ChiefMateJRK]

Are you vaccinated?

[sprint180]

Just now, ChiefMateJRK said:

Are you vaccinated?

obviously or I wouldn't be cruising on NCL

[eroller]

7 minutes ago, sprint180 said:

OK Yes I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably over reacting and yes I have insurance.

My cruise is 4 months away.  I just tested positive for covid and the nurse said I could test positive for 3 months.  Has this actually happened to any of you, getting denied because of covid months after you had it?

Thanks.

 

 

I'm fully vaccinated and tested positive for COVID last month.  I was also concerned about testing positive at the terminal.  So for reassurance I tested myself about two weeks after recovering from COVID and it came back negative.  Then I tested again 3 days prior to the cruise (verified), and again it was negative.  This gave me peace of mind.  At the terminal we were tested and again it came back negative ... but had it come back positive we would have been financially protected by NCL because I had a verified negative test within 3 days of sailing.  

[Diane67B]

14 minutes ago, sprint180 said:

 

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Diane67B
Not necessary

[sprint180]

3 minutes ago, eroller said:

 

 

I'm fully vaccinated and tested positive for COVID last month.  I was also concerned about testing positive at the terminal.  So for reassurance I tested myself about two weeks after recovering from COVID and it came back negative.  Then I tested again 3 days prior to the cruise (verified), and again it was negative.  This gave me peace of mind.  At the terminal we were tested and again it came back negative ... but had it come back positive we would have been financially protected by NCL because I had a verified negative test within 3 days of sailing.  

Good idea.  thanks

[Sthrngary]

My wife had Break Through Covid 8 days before our cruise on July 31.  We obviously cancelled.  We ended up going on Aug 21.  She tested negative on August 6.  

[ChiefMateJRK]

15 minutes ago, sprint180 said:

obviously or I wouldn't be cruising on NCL

You might be surprised....

[sprint180]

2 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

You might be surprised....

No my pvp told me you had to be vaxed.

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 minutes ago, sprint180 said:

No my pvp told me you had to be vaxed.

No, I meant that you might be surprised by the number of folks who don't read the rules and assume that they can board the ship if they've had Covid and aren't vaccinated.  I believe we've had a thread like that just this week.  😎

[phillygwm]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Are you vaccinated?

The vaccines are, at best, about 94-95% effective.  What the vax does is reduces the severity of the disease for most people.  After vax, you might be positive but asymptomatic.  

 

So OP's question is valid.  You can sail as long as you test negative on the antigen test at the pier.  I use gavi.org as a good source of info.  It states that you can test positive for weeks or even months on a PCR test but you won't be contagious for all that time.  The good news is an antigen test will not show positive for nearly as long and if you're positive there, chances are you're still in the contagious stage.

 

Based on that, OP should be fine (on either test) 4 months out.  Of course, though it's unusual, it's possible to get a second case in which case OP would be exceptionally unlucky.

 

 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, sprint180 said:

OK Yes I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably over reacting and yes I have insurance.

My cruise is 4 months away.  I just tested positive for covid and the nurse said I could test positive for 3 months.  Has this actually happened to any of you, getting denied because of covid months after you had it?

Thanks.

All you can do is some testing between now and your cruise. Give it a month and find a free test center. At the end of the day, if you test positive at check in, you won’t be allowed on the ship. Good Luck!

 

We’re double vaxxed and boosted and still worry every time we test. 

Edited November 7, 2021 by BirdTravels

[kylenyc]

  

42 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

You can sail as long as you test negative on the antigen test at the pier.

If you do not take your own PCR test with 96 hours prior to check-in, then NCL will not assist you with expenses should you subsequently test positive from the antigen or PCR tests given at the pier.

 

I would be also be really worried about travel insurance coverage. If you continue to test positive up until final payment is due and decide to keep your reservation, and then continue to test positive on embarkation day, I wonder if that is considered a "foreseeable event" by the insurance company and you won't be covered by insurance. I'd want assurances from the travel insurance company.

Edited November 7, 2021 by kylenyc

[phillygwm]

35 minutes ago, kylenyc said:

  

If you do not take your own PCR test with 96 hours prior to check-in, then NCL will not assist you with expenses should you subsequently test positive from the antigen or PCR tests given at the pier.

 

I would be also be really worried about travel insurance coverage. If you continue to test positive up until final payment is due and decide to keep your reservation, and then continue to test positive on embarkation day, I wonder if that is considered a "foreseeable event" by the insurance company and you won't be covered by insurance. I'd want assurances from the travel insurance company.

Understood.  And personally, I'm going to have my PCR test within 96 hours. 

 

The circumstances here are pretty specific:  OP is testing positive 4 months out.  It should clear within 3 months, tops, on a PCR test.  On an antigen test, which they'll give at the pier, the timeframe is much shorter.  

 

I'd keep the reservation in place.  Test beforehand and, in the off-chance you're positive 4 days before you cancel, get the FCC.

[hawkeyetlse]

This question (about persistent positive results) comes up every few days, but I haven't heard about anyone in that situation actually showing up at the terminal and trying to board. Or about anyone actually calling NCL to ask. As far as their stated policy goes, you must test negative to cruise, no exceptions. But with more and more breakthrough infections happening, this could become a big enough issue for them to adjust the rules, or at least mention it in the Sail Safe FAQ.

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, kylenyc said:

If you do not take your own PCR test with 96 hours prior to check-in, then NCL will not assist you with expenses should you subsequently test positive from the antigen or PCR tests given at the pier.

This is not correct.

[pandncruisers]

I posted this question last week since my husband and I both tested positive this past week.  We are hoping that we do not test positive after 14 days but this is what I found on the CDC travel guidelines so not sure if the cruise lines also go by these guidelines.

Information for people who recently recovered from COVID-19

• If you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 3 months and met criteria to end isolation, you do NOT need to get tested before or after cruise travel unless you have symptoms. CDC has found that people can continue to test positive for up to 3 months after they had COVID-19 and not be infectious to others.
• Travel with a copy of your positive test result and a letter from your healthcare or a public health official that states you have been cleared for travel. The positive test result and letter together are referred to as “documentation of recovery.” If you are asked by officials in a foreign country, you may be required to show this documentation.
• You also do NOT need to self-quarantine after cruise travel if you have recently recovered from COVID-19, even if you are not fully vaccinated.
• If you develop new symptoms of COVID-19, self-isolate and consult with a healthcare provier for testing recommendations.

[kochleffel]

NCL administers an antigen test at the pier. That is unlikely to be positive if you have recovered fully, since it detects only active infection. To qualify for NCL's assistance in the event of a positive test at the pier, you need either a PCR test or an antigen test up to 96 hours in advance.

 

Some pharmacies administer antigen tests and can give you written test results. A simple home test wouldn't qualify, but a supervised home test by eMeds does. You purchase the test kit from eMeds or Optum, and then administer it to yourself while a eMeds representative observes in the Navica app on a smartphone (I think it can also be observed using a computer). It's a little tricky, only because you have to leave the test kit untouched and in view of the camera for 15 minutes, but many people have used it.

 

The only time your advance test needs to be by PCR is if the country to which you're traveling, such as Bermuda, requires it.

 

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.

 

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents#covid-19-proof

[hawkeyetlse]

28 minutes ago, pandncruisers said:

We are hoping that we do not test positive after 14 days but this is what I found on the CDC travel guidelines so not sure if the cruise lines also go by these guidelines.

The cruise lines follow CDC orders, but can also choose to go beyond them. For example, NCL requires 100% of passengers to be vaccinated, which is not a CDC requirement. And they require 100% of passengers to test negative right before boarding, at least in their published protocols. I assume that NCL is aware of the issue of fully recovered people with persistent positive test results, and they have decided not to (publicly) make an exception for them.

 

I am sure that some passengers have already found themselves in this situation, and there will be more and more going forward. So hopefully we'll hear some reports of how NCL actually handles it. I hope that it never comes to that for any of you, though!

[cruisequeen4ever]

Though it can happen up to three months later, I have personally not known anyone to have this happen. The people I know who tested right after their isolation period all tested negative at that point. I recommend getting tested in a few weeks for peace of mind.

[sanger727]

If you test positive at the pier you won’t be allowed to board. But the key phrase is up to 3 months. The reason is that some people continue to shed dead virus post infection. Weeks is pretty common, months is less common, 3 months is the outside edge of what they have found. If your cruise is in 4 months you will be fine. Also, antigen tests are much less sensitive than PCR so much less likely to pick up that residual shed. Wait a month and then take one of the home antigen tests for peace of mind.

[Burgs5151]

We use the Binax home tests.  My husband wasn't feeling well so he took a test and tested positive (he is vaccinated).  About 5 days later we tested him again because he was feeling better but was still positive.  We did a 3rd test at the 10 day mark and he tested negative.  I don't know if he still would've shown positive on a PCR test because these were all quick tests.  Luckily this happened in early Oct and our cruise leaves in two weeks.  I will still get the Urgent Care antigen tests 96 hours before for peace of mind. 

[BermudaBound2014]

On 11/7/2021 at 8:15 AM, kochleffel said:

NCL administers an antigen test at the pier. That is unlikely to be positive if you have recovered fully, since it detects only active infection.

 

Unfortunately, Antigen tests have a high rate of false positive..  This is directly from the FDA:

https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/letters-health-care-providers/potential-false-positive-results-antigen-tests-rapid-detection-sars-cov-2-letter-clinical-laboratory

 

• Remember that positive predictive value (PPV) varies with disease prevalence when interpreting results from diagnostic tests. PPV is the percent of positive test results that are true positives. As disease prevalence decreases, the percent of test results that are false positives increase.
  • For example, a test with 98% specificity would have a PPV of just over 80% in a population with 10% prevalence, meaning 20 out of 100 positive results would be false positives.
  • The same test would only have a PPV of approximately 30% in a population with 1% prevalence, meaning 70 out of 100 positive results would be false positives.  This means that, in a population with 1% prevalence, only 30% of individuals with positive test results actually have the disease.
  • At 0.1% prevalence, the PPV would only be 4%, meaning that 96 out of 100 positive results would be false positives.
  • Health care providers should take the local prevalence into consideration when interpreting diagnostic test results.

 

 

[hawkeyetlse]

I don't think anybody is worried too much about false positives, since they will do a PCR to confirm (and probably a couple more antigen tests while they wait for the PCR), and that should come back negative.

[BermudaBound2014]

16 hours ago, hawkeyetlse said:

I don't think anybody is worried too much about false positives, since they will do a PCR to confirm (and probably a couple more antigen tests while they wait for the PCR), and that should come back negative.

 

I agree. I am much more concerned about being quarantined simply because I wanted to enjoy the spa or head to a comedy club. 

 

I keep reading that cruising is the safest form of travel right now. While this maybe true in terms of actually catching covid, I think cruising offers the greatest risk to disruption due to covid protocols. 

 

The social media pages dedicated to the Breakaway sailing indicated over 60 were quarantined for the entire duration of their cruise simply because they were a close contact. No amount of negative testing got them released from quarantine because of the incubation period after exposure. These fine folks spent 5 days locked in a cabin.