Port COVID Testing

[axfather]

My family is fully vaccinated and we are scheduled to cruise in December. Due to the rapid spread of breakthrough Omicron cases (which mercifully are mostly mild), I am concerned at least one of us will test positive for COVID at the port without any prior symptoms. The good news is we have all cruised many times, so it won't be the end of the world, but it will be a bad day for sure. I am not trying to turn this into a $ or insurance question...just wonder how may out there have an increased level of concern about testing positive at the port due to the growing case numbers of Omicron among the vaccinated.

 

[scrapbookjulie]

Right there with you. Cruising Jan 2 and not even getting slightly excited about the cruise because I just feel like one of the four of us will be asymptomatic and test positive. We'll take the at home tests before we got on the plane for a little peace of mind. But not much else we can do at this point.

 

[figmentfinesse]

Joining the extremely nervous crew. I sail 1/17 and will switch to KN95s in the new year and stop any unnecessary outings. I will also be testing several times before hand. It would just break my heart and I’m having a hard time getting excited since it seems so likely we will catch Omicron. My party is just two though, so that helps.

 

[mousefan73]

I think it helps if you test at home before. We flew in international a few days before so that negative test helped a bit with the anxiety. We also took special care to avoid crowds, mask up a week before our trip which is basically what we’ve been doing the whole time anyways.

 

[2goofykiddos]

We leave in 4 days. I’m worried. We will do the at home tests tomorrow since we fly down Sunday. Everyone in my family has been drilled on the use of masks

 

[iivye]

We cruised in November and we all got tested at home the day before we were scheduled to fly out. I wanted some peace of mind before we headed to the port.

 

[MomOTwins]

This is all in prior posts but to reiterate, for peace of mind we did these things:
—Avoid dining out or crowded indoor places for a week
—Test at home before flying
—KN95 on the plane (doublemask for kids too small for kn95 to fit properly) and no inflight snacks/drinks
—In florida, dine outdoors—if weather allows and it usually does.

Good luck!

 

[stout]

Yes, I know exactly how you feel! We are all fully vaccinated and DH and me boosted, but we are still trying to curb enthusiasm. We are scheduled to board on 12/26. We tested on 12/14 (to start the 10 day clock if needed) and all were “undetected” and will test again on 12/24 before leaving home. We have been avoiding optional crowds, but the kids are still in school. Our family keeps using the phrases “if we get on the boat” and “I hope we get on the boat.” It is definitely different planning without the fabulous anticipation that normally happens with a Disney cruise.

 

[dreynolds1982]

I know, it's nerve-racking because despite all the planning and everything, it's the one thing you can't control. But keep in mind that, especially if you're vaxxed and boosted, the chances of you or someone in your party randomly testing positive asymptomatically are very, very slim. Yes, there's always a chance, but statistically speaking you're very unlikely. As others have said, best thing you can do is take every precaution you can in the 2 weeks leading up to the cruise.

Think of it like driving a car. When you start driving a car, you're instantly at risk of getting in a car accident. To mitigate that risk, you drive safely, signal when you turn, check your mirrors, keep a safe distance between you and other cars, etc. Is there still a chance, despite ALL of that, that someone else could hit your car and cause an accident? Yup, for sure, but you've decreased your risk as much as you can, and when you do that, you can feel fairly confident you'll be OK.

At the end of the day, be smart, be safe, and don't sweat the things you can't control. Odds are you and your party will be just find and will have the time of your life on that cruise.

 

[2goofykiddos]

Yea. I worry most about my 15 yr old because they haven’t allowed her to get a booster and it’s now been 6 months.

 

[kathi]

We sail tomorrow and am nervous. We have been taking precautions the past 14 days, were PCR tested a few days ago and our daughter did a rapid last night since she is in school every day. All negative. We are hoping all goes smoothly tomorrow and again on 12/26 when we start our second cruise. Honestly I'm more concerned about being on the ship for a week and then having to re-test.

 

[Akck]

We sailed on the Wonder out of Galveston on Dec 3. Prior to that, we flew down to spend Thanksgiving with our oldest’s son’s family in Houston. During or prior to us arriving, our granddaughter was running a fever. Shortly thereafter, our DIL came down sick with a hacking cough that lasted our whole stay.

I’d say in Texas, indoor mask wearing was at most 50%, but we put on masks anytime while in public indoors, except while eating. We didn’t isolate ourselves, but we did take precautions. We didn’t pre-test at any point, although our granddaughter took a rapid at home test which was negative.

Through all that, we were able to take the cruise, having tested negative, which the wait was a little concerning. At no time before that, were we worried. Yes, we had a loose plan had we tested positive, but since we took our normal precautions, we never thought we’d test positive.

My recommendation to those who have trips coming up, is to enjoy the planning and anticipation. You’re taking proper precautions, so your risk is very low in being infected. Hey, we stayed for 2 weeks in a house with sick people and didn’t even come down with what they had, so your precautions work for other illnesses too.

 

[Erika1919]

Yes, I know exactly how you feel! We are all fully vaccinated and DH and me boosted, but we are still trying to curb enthusiasm. We are scheduled to board on 12/26. We tested on 12/14 (to start the 10 day clock if needed) and all were “undetected” and will test again on 12/24 before leaving home. We have been avoiding optional crowds, but the kids are still in school. Our family keeps using the phrases “if we get on the boat” and “I hope we get on the boat.” It is definitely different planning without the fabulous anticipation that normally happens with a Disney cruise.

Hi- curious on the 10 day clock. My vaccinated and boosted daughter tested positive on 12/15 and is clear on 12/22 but I understand there is a pcr test at embarkment she will likely still show as positive. Does Disney take documentation of previous infection? If not- I’m not sure I want to risk being turned away at the port.

 

[lanejudy]

Does Disney take documentation of previous infection?

Yes. I believe you can get more info from DCL, but there have been a few reports of those with documentation of recovery from a positive infection less than 90 days prior to embarkation are excused from testing.

 

[hotblooded]

I'm scheduled to depart 12/27 and I've been wearing masks indoors at all times. I don't eat at restaurants. I'll be wearing an N95 at xmas dinner with my boyfriend's family, and only taking it off to eat a safe(r) distance away with windows open, and I don't care if they think we're odd because of it.

 

[lolomarie]

We planned our cruise a while ago including pre cruise accommodation in Florida. Some of our group is planning on using the time to visit the WDW parks. What are people’s thoughts on this? Wise? Too risky?

 

[Cheburashka]

My family is fully vaccinated and we are scheduled to cruise in December. Due to the rapid spread of breakthrough Omicron cases (which mercifully are mostly mild), I am concerned at least one of us will test positive for COVID at the port without any prior symptoms. The good news is we have all cruised many times, so it won't be the end of the world, but it will be a bad day for sure. I am not trying to turn this into a $ or insurance question...just wonder how may out there have an increased level of concern about testing positive at the port due to the growing case numbers of Omicron among the vaccinated.

I cruised in October, and chose to get a rapid test the day before sailing. That put me at ease, in the knowledge that I would probably test negative at port. I'm sailing in January, and will do the same thing then. The fact that DCL gives full refunds to those who test positive is also important to me- I wouldn't cruise during a pandemic without that assurance.

I also fly in the morning of the cruise, and go directly from the airport to the port. That way, I don't have to worry about exposure in my vacation destination making me test positive.

 

[DisneyDad1736]

We’re sailing in early 2023. Im praying we won’t have to test before getting on or covid largely goes away

 

[BruinEd03]

My family is fully vaccinated and we are scheduled to cruise in December. Due to the rapid spread of breakthrough Omicron cases (which mercifully are mostly mild), I am concerned at least one of us will test positive for COVID at the port without any prior symptoms. The good news is we have all cruised many times, so it won't be the end of the world, but it will be a bad day for sure. I am not trying to turn this into a $ or insurance question...just wonder how may out there have an increased level of concern about testing positive at the port due to the growing case numbers of Omicron among the vaccinated.

If you test negative a couple of days beforehand, your chances of testing positive at the port are pretty slim.

For context, there were about 141 reservation that had test results on the television screen when I was waiting my results, and I only saw about 3 or 4 that said to go see the Inspire Staff (and not cleared). However, those 3 or 4 reservations may be because they lost at least 11 tests and had to make those people retake them.

 

[dreynolds1982]

If you test negative a couple of days beforehand, your chances of testing positive at the port are pretty slim.

For context, there were about 141 reservation that had test results on the television screen when I was waiting my results, and I only saw about 3 or 4 that said to go see the Inspire Staff (and not cleared). However, those 3 or 4 reservations may be because they lost at least 11 tests and had to make those people retake them.

Yeah again I get that it makes people worry because it's the one thing with a big trip like this that you can't control, but statistically it's just extremely unlikely that you'd randomly test positive for COVID asymptomatically, ESPECIALLY if you're vaxxed and boosted, and take precautions like wearing a mask. Is it possible? Absolutely. But my guess is on the list of things that could happen to mess up a cruise trip that's out of your control (e.g. car accident, lost luggage, flight delays, etc.), asymptomatically testing positive for COVID the morning of your cruise is way way way down the list of likeliness.