Disembarkation Testing

[Babr]

Have you been a a cruise recently where Windstar provided the testing required for guests who are flying home?

 

Was the test done on the day of disembarkation? I’m wondering about the timing for those who choose to fly disembarkation day plus one.

[milepig]

In our one experience, the testing was done the day before disembarkation. That should be fine for a next day flight since the time is - or was 72 hours which they define as three days - so if you;re tested on ta Friday, that's good for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (All this is changing all the time, so do you're own research beforehand.

 

Given the example above we needed a test that was good until Monday. We talked to the doc, who mad an appointment for very early on the day of departure. We showed up, were tested, and a very official certificate was on our door before we'd finished breakfast.  BUT, I'm not sure if this is normal, or if always offered, certainly we had to get the appointment, which we did at boarding.

[Babr]

12 minutes ago, milepig said:

In our one experience, the testing was done the day before disembarkation. That should be fine for a next day flight since the time is - or was 72 hours which they define as three days - so if you;re tested on ta Friday, that's good for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (All this is changing all the time, so do you're own research beforehand.

 

Given the example above we needed a test that was good until Monday. We talked to the doc, who mad an appointment for very early on the day of departure. We showed up, were tested, and a very official certificate was on our door before we'd finished breakfast.  BUT, I'm not sure if this is normal, or if always offered, certainly we had to get the appointment, which we did at boarding.

 

Thanks for your quick reply. We will need a test one day before flying back to the US. We chose to fly the next morning in order to get better connections/arrival time.

 

In that case the test must be done the day of disembarkation, not the night before, assuming the timeline is one day not specifically 24 hours before boarding the flight. The website has not been updated in a month; and the language there is rather vague, saying only that it will be provided for the guest’s convenience.

I will find out about scheduling an appointment upon boarding. Otherwise, I can test at the airport.

 

[r&rd]

We had are test done at 7 am the morning of disembarking, had breakfast and picked up our results at 7:30.

[Babr]

3 minutes ago, r&rd said:

We had are test done at 7 am the morning of disembarking, had breakfast and picked up our results at 7:30.

Great news! That means it likely is possible to schedule, and it certainly simplifies things to have the results in hand before disembarking.

[milepig]

2 hours ago, Babr said:

 

Thanks for your quick reply. We will need a test one day before flying back to the US. We chose to fly the next morning in order to get better connections/arrival time.

 

In that case the test must be done the day of disembarkation, not the night before, assuming the timeline is one day not specifically 24 hours before boarding the flight. The website has not been updated in a month; and the language there is rather vague, saying only that it will be provided for the guest’s convenience.

I will find out about scheduling an appointment upon boarding. Otherwise, I can test at the airport.

 

These things change all the time, when we returned in late November it was 3 days, now its 1, and will likely change again!

[Lvwindstar007]

3 hours ago, milepig said:

These things change all the time, when we returned in late November it was 3 days, now its 1, and will likely change again!

I hope so.  We are on the Surf next week and plan to spend two nights in Barcelona.  It would be nice to get tested on the ship rather than having to find one nearby our hotel.  Jack in Reno

[6rugrats]

To return to the US just purchase the BinaxNOW Ag tests through emed.com. They are proctored  tests that are acceptable to return to the US.

[Lvwindstar007]

2 hours ago, 6rugrats said:

To return to the US just purchase the BinaxNOW Ag tests through emed.com. They are proctored  tests that are acceptable to return to the US.

Our limited experience in using the proctored BinxNow test kits failed in Vancouver as we could not get reasonable response from our hotel online.  Just waited and waited with a sort of connection.  We just used the test at the airport.

[Mocamps]

Our cruise starts in Mexico and ends in San Diego. I’m presuming we can get tested on the ship the day before? Do you think that’s right?

[Babr]

8 hours ago, Mocamps said:

Our cruise starts in Mexico and ends in San Diego. I’m presuming we can get tested on the ship the day before? Do you think that’s right?

The day before can be easily accommodated - plenty of time. My concern was with the day of disembarkation itself when there is lots of activity and a deadline to meet.

[milepig]

14 hours ago, 6rugrats said:

To return to the US just purchase the BinaxNOW Ag tests through emed.com. They are proctored  tests that are acceptable to return to the US.

 

This have a high failure rate - we were advised to buy twice the number we needed and both connection speed and response time varies widely.

[minidonuts85]

11 hours ago, Mocamps said:

Our cruise starts in Mexico and ends in San Diego. I’m presuming we can get tested on the ship the day before? Do you think that’s right?

Entries into the US by sea or land do not require a covid entry test. Only by air. 

[minidonuts85]

We've used the proctored BinaxNow tests about 8 times over the past 12-months for flying back to the US from the BVI with a weak signal on our phones. No issues on our end but YMMV.

[tuffy0317]

We just got back last week from the Caribbean. They only offered testing the day before (by appointment, made at reception, NOT well publicized!). Guests staying in SXM another night were all going to a local place on the island to get tested. 

[6rugrats]

I’ve had absolutely no problems using this test, most recently two days ago.  They worked just fine and I’ve never heard anything about a high failure rate.  You can’t believe everything people post; perhaps it was user error?

Edited April 7, 2022 by 6rugrats

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, 6rugrats said:

I’ve had absolutely no problems using this test, most recently two days ago.  They worked just fine and I’ve never heard anything about a high failure rate.  You can’t believe everything people post; perhaps it was user error?

It's a nasal probe, not a suppository!

[LewiLewi]

On 4/6/2022 at 9:39 AM, Babr said:

Have you been a a cruise recently where Windstar provided the testing required for guests who are flying home?

 

Was the test done on the day of disembarkation? I’m wondering about the timing for those who choose to fly disembarkation day plus one.

Our concern is with a positive test result if in Barcelona or Lisbon at the end of the cruise. What happens if you rest positive at disembarkation? This is the reason we are hesitant to take a TA from St. Marten to Europe.

[Babr]

37 minutes ago, LewiLewi said:

Our concern is with a positive test result if in Barcelona or Lisbon at the end of the cruise. What happens if you rest positive at disembarkation? This is the reason we are hesitant to take a TA from St. Marten to Europe.

You are under the jurisdiction of the local health authorities. You may have to quarantine before onward travel.

 

The US required ships to contract with hotels to provide quarantine accommodations as a provision of its Conditional Sail Order, which has now expired. I think most continue to follow the guidelines voluntarily.

 

Likewise, Canada has a provision in its requirements for cruise lines to organize quarantine facilities and transportation. The point is that local governments determine how quarantine is handled.

 

When I inquired at Windstar, the snippy little fellow who answered my call was quick to tell me “it would be on my dime.” I expected that. Everything else is. I merely wanted to know the procedure. After some prodding, he was able to consult with someone and tell me that an agent would be on hand to help - no other details.

 

Perhaps someone with first-hand experience will respond. 

[new_cruiser]

On 4/6/2022 at 3:39 PM, Babr said:

 

Thanks for your quick reply. We will need a test one day before flying back to the US. We chose to fly the next morning in order to get better connections/arrival time.

 

In that case the test must be done the day of disembarkation, not the night before, assuming the timeline is one day not specifically 24 hours before boarding the flight. The website has not been updated in a month; and the language there is rather vague, saying only that it will be provided for the guest’s convenience.

I will find out about scheduling an appointment upon boarding. Otherwise, I can test at the airport.

 

The requirement is 1 calendar day before flying. The language on the attestation form states that clearly. Elsewhere, e.g. the CDC site, the language is less clear but the attestation form is official so you can go by that.

 

I'm sitting in Lisbon Airport as I write this. Windstar provided the test for me on the morning of debarkation. When I received the notice about when testing would be done for most passengers, I called the number on the form for making an appointment. The doctor asked what day my flight was departing and scheduled the test for 8 AM on debarkation day. 

[Babr]

8 hours ago, new_cruiser said:

The requirement is 1 calendar day before flying. The language on the attestation form states that clearly. Elsewhere, e.g. the CDC site, the language is less clear but the attestation form is official so you can go by that.

 

I'm sitting in Lisbon Airport as I write this. Windstar provided the test for me on the morning of debarkation. When I received the notice about when testing would be done for most passengers, I called the number on the form for making an appointment. The doctor asked what day my flight was departing and scheduled the test for 8 AM on debarkation day. 

Thank you for clarifying the procedure. It is truly a convenience to have that done on the ship.
 

[Cortesefam]

We disembarked from the Star Legend on Monday, April 11 in Lisbon.  We had our antigen test on board Sunday afternoon for our Monday flight back to the U.S.  Several passengers made arrangements for tests at 7:00 a.m. on Monday, for flights Tuesday.  The medical team on board was great, very professional and handled all the testing very well.  I'm not sure how many tests they could do on departure day so you may want to make the arrangements early on the cruise.

[Babr]

Thanks. I had considered that. Now I will do it for sure.

 

I can only hope the staff on the ship will be more helpful than the shoreside customer service people. About half the time, I have found them to be unable to answer many of my questions and impatient to the point of rudeness.

[milepig]

4 minutes ago, Babr said:

Thanks. I had considered that. Now I will do it for sure.

 

I can only hope the staff on the ship will be more helpful than the shoreside customer service people. About half the time, I have found them to be unable to answer many of my questions and impatient to the point of rudeness.

 

In my experience, the onboard staff are ALWAYS more helpful than customer service. Things that were impossible before the cruise are suddenly "no problem".

[LewiLewi]

10 hours ago, Cortesefam said:

We disembarked from the Star Legend on Monday, April 11 in Lisbon.  We had our antigen test on board Sunday afternoon for our Monday flight back to the U.S.  Several passengers made arrangements for tests at 7:00 a.m. on Monday, for flights Tuesday.  The medical team on board was great, very professional and handled all the testing very well.  I'm not sure how many tests they could do on departure day so you may want to make the arrangements early on the cruise.

Did anyone test positive? If so, what would have happened to them?