No COVID Vaccine exemptions right?

[CleverUserNameHere]

My mom seems to think that she can sail with NCL wince she had a doctor write her a letter of medical exemption from the COVID vaccine, but from what I can tell online this is not the case. Can anyone clarify?

[1025cruise]

I'm not 100% sure if NCL is allowing medical exemptions, though some lines are.

[CleverUserNameHere]

I finally go through to an agent, they are not allowing exemptions.

[ace2542]

5 minutes ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

I finally go through to an agent, they are not allowing exemptions.

Of course they are not. How can she prove that her doctor wrote it and that she didn't forge it? No Doctor due to doc/patient confidentialty will admit to writing that letter.

[Beaver1975]

24 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Of course they are not. How can she prove that her doctor wrote it and that she didn't forge it? No Doctor due to doc/patient confidentialty will admit to writing that letter.

Can you possibly back your assertions with any facts?

[hallux]

26 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

No Doctor due to doc/patient confidentialty will admit to writing that letter.

If the patient requests such a letter to present to a 3rd party the patient is waiving any confidentiality on that particular matter and the doctor should have no issue writing it.

 

The same could be said for all of those providing "proof of recovery" in an effort to get out of testing, the doctor is writing a letter that reveals the patient had COVID at one point and is considered recovered based on when their positive test was.  Is THAT not considered a violation of doctor/patient confidentiality?  If so, MANY people have had that violated..

[CleverUserNameHere]

For what it's worth, I don't think they should be allowing exemptions. Unfortunately mom has a history of exaggerating/embellishments so I am not surprised that she lied to me saying that she could. And her cardiologist did write her a letter of exemption that she's used to travel before. 

[ace2542]

4 minutes ago, Beaver1975 said:

Can you possibly back your assertions with any facts?

That I could forge such a letter with the doctors practice letterhead on the top and the litte words on the bottom in 5 minutes and that you never get through to my doctor to confirm that he wrote it. Those facts you mean?

[CleverUserNameHere]

1 minute ago, hallux said:

If the patient requests such a letter to present to a 3rd party the patient is waiving any confidentiality on that particular matter and the doctor should have no issue writing it.

 

The same could be said for all of those providing "proof of recovery" in an effort to get out of testing, the doctor is writing a letter that reveals the patient had COVID at one point and is considered recovered based on when their positive test was.  Is THAT not considered a violation of doctor/patient confidentiality?  If so, MANY people have had that violated..

 

You are correct, if the patient requests a letter or doctors note for any condition and work exemption that does NOT violate doctor/patient confidentiality or HIPPA

 

[ace2542]

8 minutes ago, hallux said:

If the patient requests such a letter to present to a 3rd party the patient is waiving any confidentiality on that particular matter and the doctor should have no issue writing it.

 

The same could be said for all of those providing "proof of recovery" in an effort to get out of testing, the doctor is writing a letter that reveals the patient had COVID at one point and is considered recovered based on when their positive test was.  Is THAT not considered a violation of doctor/patient confidentiality?  If so, MANY people have had that violated..

How do you know the customer didn't forge this? Don't ask who would ask how you would know? If that doctor is not contacted to confirm?

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

9 minutes ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

For what it's worth, I don't think they should be allowing exemptions. Unfortunately mom has a history of exaggerating/embellishments so I am not surprised that she lied to me saying that she could. And her cardiologist did write her a letter of exemption that she's used to travel before. 

Your mother seems to be quite the handful!  

[CleverUserNameHere]

7 minutes ago, Funky Fusion FoodsJ said:

Your mother seems to be quite the handful!  

OMG my heart skipped a beat, your picture looks just like my dad... and yes she is!

Edited April 19, 2022 by CleverUserNameHere

[hallux]

15 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

How do you know the customer didn't forge this? Don't ask who would ask how you would know? If that doctor is not contacted to confirm?

Forging such a document is a whole other level of trouble.  All the desk agent needs to do is contact the doctor's office and confirm such a letter was written for that patient, they don't need to ask anything else, and all they're doing is confirming the authenticity of the letter.  If the person forged the letter, all the doctor's office needs to say is that no letter was written.  That's not providing any protected information.

[ace2542]

Just now, hallux said:

All the desk agent needs to do is contact the doctor's office and confirm such a letter was written for that patient, they don't need to ask anything else, and all they're doing is confirming the authenticity of the letter

I don't think my practice as well call them would confirm that information to a person on the phone though I might be incorrect about that. That is if  the check in staff could get through to them. Do you know how long the waiting time is to speak to a UK doctors practice is?

[hallux]

42 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

I don't think my practice as well call them would confirm that information to a person on the phone though I might be incorrect about that

what?  I don't understand those words put together in that order.

 

43 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Do you know how long the waiting time is to speak to a UK doctors practice is?

That sounds like the UK's problem.  Some entities in the US have specific phone numbers or specific options in the voice response system if you're performing a certain job/task and just need to verify something.  Yes, as a patient my doctor can be VERY difficult to get in touch with at times (well, impossible now since he's retired and I haven't chosen another within the practice to be my primary).

[geegee1]

3 minutes ago, hallux said:

what?  I don't understand those words put together in that order.

 

That sounds like the UK's problem.  Some entities in the US have specific phone numbers or specific options in the voice response system if you're performing a certain job/task and just need to verify something.  Yes, as a patient my doctor can be VERY difficult to get in touch with at times (well, impossible now since he's retired and I haven't chosen another within the practice to be my primary).

While all of this is a giant hypothetical, they wouldn't even need to talk to the doctor directly, just the people in the office would be able to see if the doctor wrote a note or not

[hallux]

1 minute ago, geegee1 said:

just the people in the office would be able to see if the doctor wrote a note or not

Exactly!  Something like that should be noted in the file if it was done so anyone in the office could pull up the electronic file and see that it was done.  Takes all of a few seconds to confirm a letter was written.  The doctor's office people don't even have to reveal what the letter was for - the person calling should be asking "I have a letter here from your office confirming that this patient (giving the name) had COVID and recovered, can you confirm such a letter was written for them?"  Again, no HIPPA or confidentiality is being broken as the patient is approving that the information be revealed by asking for the letter to be written.  If a patient provides a forged letter, they're effectively asking for that to be broken as well, and may be breaking some laws...

[PJ112575]

Back to the question at hand, I am vaccinated.  My wife is not.  I just called and there are no medical exemptions for NCL.  So despite being able to get a free balcony room from Caesar's casinos for a NCL cruise to the Bahamas, Caribbean or Mexico, looks like I can't go (with her).  Maybe it is time to look for a new +1.  Haha.

[ColeThornton]

1 minute ago, PJ112575 said:

Back to the question at hand, I am vaccinated.  My wife is not.  I just called and there are no medical exemptions for NCL.  So despite being able to get a free balcony room from Caesar's casinos for a NCL cruise to the Bahamas, Caribbean or Mexico, looks like I can't go (with her).  Maybe it is time to look for a new +1.  Haha.

 

Or just go by yourself.  😉

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, ace2542 said:

How do you know the customer didn't forge this? Don't ask who would ask how you would know? If that doctor is not contacted to confirm?

 

Does NCL confirm that all CDC vaccination cards are authentic? There are literally millions of fake vaccination cards in circulation right now. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/12/22/6-of-us-adults-know-someone-with-a-fake-vaccine-card/?sh=6a36bd252dc0

 

I believe NCL will eventually accept medical exemptions (other lines already do), but at this time, the answer to the OP is no.

 

 

[MsTabbyKats]

3 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Does NCL confirm that all CDC vaccination cards are authentic? There are literally millions of fake vaccination cards in circulation right now. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/12/22/6-of-us-adults-know-someone-with-a-fake-vaccine-card/?sh=6a36bd252dc0

 

I believe NCL will eventually accept medical exemptions (other lines already do), but at this time, the answer to the OP is no.

 

 

This is why I like our NYS Excelsior pass (afaik unacceptable by the cruiselines).  I don't think you can "fake it".

[hallux]

14 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

This is why I like our NYS Excelsior pass (afaik unacceptable by the cruiselines).  I don't think you can "fake it".

I used it to board the Joy in March and I think my parents have used it with Princess..

[BermudaBound2014]

26 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

This is why I like our NYS Excelsior pass (afaik unacceptable by the cruiselines).  I don't think you can "fake it".

 

I suspect you can fake anything with enough motivation, but I do agree that the Excelsior pass appears significantly more secure. A simple google search for  'blank CDC vaccination card' results in 100's of hits where one can simply print off the internet. Of course, it is illegal to present a fake card, but that doesn't appear to have slowed down the black market.

[MsTabbyKats]

43 minutes ago, hallux said:

I used it to board the Joy in March and I think my parents have used it with Princess..

Good to know....I'm paranoid about losing the card!  

[CleverUserNameHere]

13 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Good to know....I'm paranoid about losing the card!  

 

You can use the card though right? I don't have any other documentations...