Documentation of Recovery

[andie717]

Maybe I'm imagining things, or losing my mind as my cruise date finally, hopefully, rapidly approaches!!!  I thought I read on Carnivals site that for documentation of recovery, you needed the test results and certification from your doctor.  But now it says this...so is it only the test results?  (Which I have digitally and printed....)

[firefly333]

I havent heard they care about if you had or didnt have covid, only that you test negative.

 

There is a question about the last 14 days, so I'm assuming you didnt just get it and get over it. 

[Earthworm Jim]

The "Have Fun, Be Safe Guest Protocols" on Carnival.com still say you need documentation of recovery from your healthcare provider:

 

Documentation of Recovery

Guests (either fully vaccinated or not) who have recovered from COVID-19 within three months of their sailing date, do not need the required pre-cruise COVID test before embarkation if they are at least 10 days past their COVID-19 infection, have no symptoms and present documentation of recovery from COVID-19 from their healthcare provider. Please visit our FAQs for complete information.

 

Edit: Now I see if you follow the FAQ link above you get the text the OP quoted. So I don't know. It seems contradictory to me.

Edited March 4, 2022 by Earthworm Jim

[sparks1093]

It is an either/or proposition. Once someone has COVID there is a possibility that they will still test positive for up to 90 days after they recover. The document of recovery is an option for those folks who've had it, who can't get a negative test. The at home proctored tests are not as sensitive and while I had COVID it still showed a negative result. I had gotten the letter from my doctor, just in case, but didn't have to use it. (And it is my understanding that if you do use it you will receive additional screening from medical personnel in the terminal before being allowed to board.)

[andie717]

10 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

The "Have Fun, Be Safe Guest Protocols" on Carnival.com still say you need documentation of recovery from your healthcare provider:

 

Documentation of Recovery

Guests (either fully vaccinated or not) who have recovered from COVID-19 within three months of their sailing date, do not need the required pre-cruise COVID test before embarkation if they are at least 10 days past their COVID-19 infection, have no symptoms and present documentation of recovery from COVID-19 from their healthcare provider. Please visit our FAQs for complete information.

 

Edit: Now I see if you follow the FAQ link above you get the text the OP quoted. So I don't know. It seems contradictory to me.

Yes, that's what I saw.  I thought in the FAQ (like, 2 weeks ago) it stated it had to be a certified letter, on letterhead, etc...  I have a letter, so I will bring it just in case!  Does anyone know what the additional screening is?

[sparks1093]

31 minutes ago, andie717 said:

Yes, that's what I saw.  I thought in the FAQ (like, 2 weeks ago) it stated it had to be a certified letter, on letterhead, etc...  I have a letter, so I will bring it just in case!  Does anyone know what the additional screening is?

I would expect that they would ask you questions about how you are feeling and possibly taking your vitals. I wasn't concerned about the screening itself per se, I didn't want to waste any time in the terminal if I didn't have to.

[andie717]

28 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

I would expect that they would ask you questions about how you are feeling and possibly taking your vitals. I wasn't concerned about the screening itself per se, I didn't want to waste any time in the terminal if I didn't have to.

Hmmm.  Good point.

 

[Earthworm Jim]

5 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

It is an either/or proposition. Once someone has COVID there is a possibility that they will still test positive for up to 90 days after they recover.

 

I think you misunderstood the question. Yes, you can have either a negative test or a document of recovery. But the question is, what is a document of recovery? A doctor's note, as it says in the protocols, or a copy of the positive viral test result from between 10 and 90 days ago, as it says in the associated FAQs?

[sparks1093]

13 minutes ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

I think you misunderstood the question. Yes, you can have either a negative test or a document of recovery. But the question is, what is a document of recovery? A doctor's note, as it says in the protocols, or a copy of the positive viral test result from between 10 and 90 days ago, as it says in the associated FAQs?

Ah, then it's both- the doctor's note and proof that you had COVID (or at least a positive test). I haven't looked at the FAQ in a while but that is what it said to provide when I was getting mine together.

[Clearwater]

I am so confused on this. 

 

We had covid in February. We are sailing in 17 days on the Magic.  We are both recovered fully and boostered etc. 

I took a home test when I had it so it's not proof. I am worried that people test after recovering.  Incase that happens, I was thinking I should be prepared with a Dr's note that I have recovered. 

But do I NEED to have a positive test from Feb also??  The verbiage is very confusing to me.  Or should I bring a Drs note as backup??  Hopefully we don't show any false positives from then and we are clear but I am def worried. 

 

[sparks1093]

29 minutes ago, Clearwater said:

I am so confused on this. 

 

We had covid in February. We are sailing in 17 days on the Magic.  We are both recovered fully and boostered etc. 

I took a home test when I had it so it's not proof. I am worried that people test after recovering.  Incase that happens, I was thinking I should be prepared with a Dr's note that I have recovered. 

But do I NEED to have a positive test from Feb also??  The verbiage is very confusing to me.  Or should I bring a Drs note as backup??  Hopefully we don't show any false positives from then and we are clear but I am def worried. 

 

When I prepared my documentation it was clear- I needed both the letter from my doctor and the positive test from a medical professional. If you didn't have a test administered by a medical professional then I'm not sure that you'd be able to use this, but again this is only necessary if you test just prior to the cruise and it is positive. As long as that test is negative you will be good to go.

[Rudyard]

On 3/4/2022 at 6:12 AM, andie717 said:

Yes, that's what I saw.  I thought in the FAQ (like, 2 weeks ago) it stated it had to be a certified letter, on letterhead, etc...  I have a letter, so I will bring it just in case!  Does anyone know what the additional screening is?

 

I used a letter of recovery to board last week. The secondary screening is just a form with a few questions. They had a Carnival doctor at the screening area, but I think he was just there in case you answered yes to anything. We were in and out of secondary screening in about 5 minutes. 

[mbarker10]

Just came here seeking answers about this so this thread was helpful. My husband had COVID about 6 weeks ago and we just found out he’s going to have to have minor surgery Wednesday and we leave for our cruise on Friday 😩🤦🏼‍♀️ I told him to head to the health department Monday and get documentation of recovery so we don’t have to deal with getting him COVID tested while he’s recuperating. What a mess!

[Earthworm Jim]

On 3/4/2022 at 2:47 PM, sparks1093 said:

When I prepared my documentation it was clear.

 

That was then. Now it's not so clear, so your previous experience isn't really relevant anymore.

 

Guests (either fully vaccinated or not) who have recovered from COVID-19 within three months of their sailing date, do not need the required pre-cruise COVID test before embarkation if they are at least 10 days past their COVID-19 infection, have no symptoms and present documentation of recovery from COVID-19 from their healthcare provider. Please visit our FAQs for complete information.

 

But then you go to the FAQs for complete information and it says:

 

Documentation of Recovery is accepted from both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated guests and consists of the paper or electronic copy of the positive viral test result from a certified laboratory (dated no more than 90 days ago).

 

Which perhaps is not contradictory if they consider the certified laboratory a healthcare provider? Who knows.

 

It also brings up the question of whether a result from your local drug store is considered a certified laboratory? I would guess not for a rapid test they do in house. A PCR test they send out to a lab, presumably yes. 

[Rudyard]

19 minutes ago, Earthworm Jim said:

It also brings up the question of whether a result from your local drug store is considered a certified laboratory? I would guess not for a rapid test they do in house.

 

I was concerned about this since my positive test was a rapid test done at CVS. Carnival had no problem accepting it. I'm guessing that certified laboratory means anywhere certified to do covid tests. 

Edited March 7, 2022 by Rudyard

[sanger727]

7 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

That was then. Now it's not so clear, so your previous experience isn't really relevant anymore.

 

Guests (either fully vaccinated or not) who have recovered from COVID-19 within three months of their sailing date, do not need the required pre-cruise COVID test before embarkation if they are at least 10 days past their COVID-19 infection, have no symptoms and present documentation of recovery from COVID-19 from their healthcare provider. Please visit our FAQs for complete information.

 

But then you go to the FAQs for complete information and it says:

 

Documentation of Recovery is accepted from both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated guests and consists of the paper or electronic copy of the positive viral test result from a certified laboratory (dated no more than 90 days ago).

 

Which perhaps is not contradictory if they consider the certified laboratory a healthcare provider? Who knows.

 

It also brings up the question of whether a result from your local drug store is considered a certified laboratory? I would guess not for a rapid test they do in house. A PCR test they send out to a lab, presumably yes. 

Cvs test is a certified laboratory for this purpose. What they mean is a rapid test done at home. Or situations that pop up here occasionally as questions ‘can school nurse do one and write a note’

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

That was then. Now it's not so clear, so your previous experience isn't really relevant anymore.

 

Guests (either fully vaccinated or not) who have recovered from COVID-19 within three months of their sailing date, do not need the required pre-cruise COVID test before embarkation if they are at least 10 days past their COVID-19 infection, have no symptoms and present documentation of recovery from COVID-19 from their healthcare provider. Please visit our FAQs for complete information.

 

But then you go to the FAQs for complete information and it says:

 

Documentation of Recovery is accepted from both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated guests and consists of the paper or electronic copy of the positive viral test result from a certified laboratory (dated no more than 90 days ago).

 

Which perhaps is not contradictory if they consider the certified laboratory a healthcare provider? Who knows.

 

It also brings up the question of whether a result from your local drug store is considered a certified laboratory? I would guess not for a rapid test they do in house. A PCR test they send out to a lab, presumably yes. 

I would think that my previous experience would be totally relevant since it covered what was required and clarifies what the FAQ currently says. Of course anyone is free to ignore it and try to figure it out on their own. The confusion in Carnival's FAQ (which isn't atypical of any cruise line's FAQ) is that the documentation of recovery consists of both a letter from the health care provider and the certified test result. Both are needed because someone could tell their health care provider that they had a positive test when they didn't test positive. (It would be hard to provide a letter of treatment since most people recover without needing any treatment at all.) I have no trouble with the term "certified laboratory" and don't find it confusing at all. The local drug store is not the lab, as you correctly point out, they simply collect the sample and submit it to the lab.

[Earthworm Jim]

15 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I would think that my previous experience would be totally relevant since it covered what was required and clarifies what the FAQ currently says.

 

But in post #9 you implied that the FAQs have changed since you cruised thus making your experience no longer applicable to the current rules. If I have misunderstood, then I apologize.

 

15 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

 The confusion in Carnival's FAQ (which isn't atypical of any cruise line's FAQ) is that the documentation of recovery consists of both a letter from the health care provider and the certified test result. Both are needed because someone could tell their health care provider that they had a positive test when they didn't test positive. (It would be hard to provide a letter of treatment since most people recover without needing any treatment at all.) I have no trouble with the term "certified laboratory" and don't find it confusing at all. The local drug store is not the lab, as you correctly point out, they simply collect the sample and submit it to the lab.

 

The question isn't whether we need the certified test result. It's clear you need that, for the obvious reason you state. The question is, under the new FAQs do you need a doctor letter, or does the positive test from a drug store (for example) constitute the document of recovery from a health care provider, as the FAQs seem to imply?

 

You are mistaken the the drug store sends all tests to a lab. PCR tests, yes. But rapid tests are done in the store. But my Certified Laboratory question has been resolved thanks to Rudyard's experience, so it's a moot point now.

[sparks1093]

6 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

But in post #9 you implied that the FAQs have changed since you cruised thus making your experience no longer applicable to the current rules. If I have misunderstood, then I apologize.

 

 

The question isn't whether we need the certified test result. It's clear you need that, for the obvious reason you state. The question is, under the new FAQs do you need a doctor letter, or does the positive test from a drug store (for example) constitute the document of recovery from a health care provider, as the FAQs seem to imply?

 

You are mistaken the the drug store sends all tests to a lab. PCR tests, yes. But rapid tests are done in the store. But my Certified Laboratory question has been resolved thanks to Rudyard's experience, so it's a moot point now.

A rapid test, done anywhere (even in a doctor's office) is not interpreted by a lab and my presumption is that the printed result of either would be make it obvious which was performed in a lab. I do see where the new FAQ can be confusing regarding the doctor letter and as always when things are confusing the advice on CC is "bring it because it is better to have it and not need it".

[archer_310]

Yes, I'm both happy and a little pissed that Carnival has changed the documentation needed for recovery.  After spending $60 to get letters from our doctors stating that we have recovered, I find that it's no longer necessary and just need the positive test result.  One less thing to worry about, but money I didn't need to spend.

[sparks1093]

39 minutes ago, archer_310 said:

Yes, I'm both happy and a little pissed that Carnival has changed the documentation needed for recovery.  After spending $60 to get letters from our doctors stating that we have recovered, I find that it's no longer necessary and just need the positive test result.  One less thing to worry about, but money I didn't need to spend.

I wondered if some doctor's would charge for the letter. I'm glad that mine didn't.

[cheer25mom]

On 3/5/2022 at 1:37 PM, mbarker10 said:

Just came here seeking answers about this so this thread was helpful. My husband had COVID about 6 weeks ago and we just found out he’s going to have to have minor surgery Wednesday and we leave for our cruise on Friday 😩🤦🏼‍♀️ I told him to head to the health department Monday and get documentation of recovery so we don’t have to deal with getting him COVID tested while he’s recuperating. What a mess!

What day do you sail, and is he boosted? They will likely test him before surgery, and it might still be valid to use. 

[LincolnLog]

Has anyone gotten a letter of documentation from Kaiser? I don’t even know where to start with trying to get it from them.  I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m gonna get the runaround….

[mbarker10]

26 minutes ago, cheer25mom said:

What day do you sail, and is he boosted? They will likely test him before surgery, and it might still be valid to use. 

He is not boosted, we leave Saturday. He's supposed to be trying to get the document of recovery today. 

[mbarker10]

3 hours ago, archer_310 said:

Yes, I'm both happy and a little pissed that Carnival has changed the documentation needed for recovery.  After spending $60 to get letters from our doctors stating that we have recovered, I find that it's no longer necessary and just need the positive test result.  One less thing to worry about, but money I didn't need to spend.

So did you determine for sure that only the positive test result is needed? The health department refuses to write a specific letter that says "document of recovery." I've called Carnival twice and got different answers both times. I've reached out to John Heald for clarification, but this is stressing me!