Letter of Recovery- my experience

[Rudyard]

Since it's come up in a few threads I thought I'd share my experience with using a letter of recovery following a positive covid test to board the Breeze last week.

 

My SO and I both tested positive in early February. In both cases it was like a bad head cold that lasted three or four days then went away as quickly as it came on. About a week before our cruise on the 28th we got letters of recovery from our PCP.  I checked the test results, the recovery letters, and the Carnival protocols multiple times to make sure we were good to go and that no required info was missing (my doctor initially forgot to put down my DOB but I caught it and she changed it right away). We got to the port and had our first hiccup when the screener had no idea what was going on. She initially told us that our doctors letters didn't mean a thing and we would both have to test negative at the terminal in order to board. At that point we thought our vacation was over before it started. I patiently explained the new protocol to her and to her credit she went and got a Carnival rep. The rep explained the protocol to the screener, checked our documentation, and we saw the handheld device she was using flash green with the words "Cleared to sail" after scanning our boarding passes. We breathed a huge sigh of relief. They told us to head to security and then to check in. At that point no one had brought up a secondary screening.

 

We got to check in and where the rep's screen came up green, the one at check in came up red after she tried inputting a code that was written on our boarding passes, worrying us again. The lady at check in told us she had never seen that code before and went to get someone in charge. Turns out that that code indicated we needed to go through the secondary screening. They took us to a room where they handed each of us a clipboard with a form and asked us to fill it out. There were only about four questions (IIRC) and it was about what you'd expect. "Have you been in contact with someone with covid in the last 14 days", "Are you showing signs or symptoms of covid", etc. They took the completed forms to a Carnival doctor who was there, he read them, said something to the rep, then the rep escorted us back to check in where she took us to the front of the line and told us to have a great cruise. This time the code on our boarding passes went though and we were on our way to the ship. 

 

Two big takeaways for us were to check and recheck your documentation for the required info, and if you get someone who isn't sure about the new protocols don't hesitate to escalate things. Luckily our screener did that herself after I started to explain the new protocols. Hope this helps anyone sailing soon under the same conditions. 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Rudyard

[DB2VA]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share that information.

[mbarker10]

I don’t understand what the required info is though, besides the positive test results. The website seems vague. 
 

Will I still need a pre-cruise COVID test before embarkation if I have recently recovered from COVID-19? 

Guests who have recovered from COVID-19 within 3 months of their sailing date do not need the required pre-cruise test if they are at least 10 days past their positive test result date, have no symptoms and produce documentation of recovery from COVID-19.

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).

Edited March 5, 2022 by mbarker10

[AJFireman]

Did you still need to provide proof of Vaccination?  It says you do on the website but I was just curious if that was your experience.  

[Rudyard]

1 hour ago, mbarker10 said:

I don’t understand what the required info is though, besides the positive test results. The website seems vague. 

 

It is vague. It was worded differently before our cruise and I'm guessing it might have changed on March 1st after I sailed. That paragraph you quoted originally listed everything that had to be in the letter because I remember printing it out and going over the required items with a highlighter and giving it to our doctor. Our letter had to be on letterhead from a hospital or doctor's office. It had to have the doctor's name, address, phone number, and signature on it. It had to show the date we tested positive, and the date (at least 10 days later) when the doctor cleared us to travel. It had to have our name and DOB as well. 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Rudyard

[Rudyard]

1 hour ago, AJFireman said:

Did you still need to provide proof of Vaccination?  It says you do on the website but I was just curious if that was your experience.  

 

Yes. Just the initial vaccinations at this time. Boosters are not yet required. I forgot to put in my OP that our screener also gave us the impression that we needed to be boosted which was another cause for worry. The rep also had to set her straight on that as well. We've put off getting the booster at our doctor's recommendation. 

[mbarker10]

5 hours ago, Rudyard said:

 

It is vague. It was worded differently before our cruise and I'm guessing it might have changed on March 1st after I sailed. That paragraph you quoted originally listed everything that had to be in the letter because I remember printing it out and going over the required items with a highlighter and giving it to our doctor. Our letter had to be on letterhead from a hospital or doctor's office. It had to have the doctor's name, address, phone number, and signature on it. It had to show the date we tested positive, and the date (at least 10 days later) when the doctor cleared us to travel. It had to have our name and DOB as well. 

I’ll try to give my PVP a call on Monday and get clearer answers. Maybe they’re just not being strict.