Does NCL Re-test?

[JamieLogical]

My husband is concerned about the rate of false positives with antigen tests. If we get tested at the pier and one of us tests positive with the initial antigen test, do they retest or are you SOL?

[oteixeira]

Read a review on here about one of the Florida NCL cruises that mentioned a separate room for when you test positive and the person said they retested the folks in there.  So you have 2 shots.

[JamieLogical]

Just now, oteixeira said:

Read a review on here about one of the Florida NCL cruises that mentioned a separate room for when you test positive and the person said they retested the folks in there.  So you have 2 shots.

 

Thanks! That is good to know. We are in full-on lock down in my house now, except when I have to go to work. I wear an N95 mask when I am anywhere at work where I have to be within about 30 feet of another human and all of the people who work within my office suite are vaccinated. So I think the chances of either of us actually having COVID when we do our testing at the pier are extremely low, but like I said, my husband was concerned about the rate of false positives.

[BirdTravels]

First, have a wonderful cruise. Hopefully it will measure up to Celebrity. 
 

I understand your frustration with comms, but it is kinda the way things are right now. We are leaving on our third post-restart cruise today (getting ready to leave for the port shortly) and the constantly changing protocols are crazy. 
 

wrt testing, there was a separate retest area when we cruised in August. The test center has change a couple of times, but you won’t be SOL. On our cruise of 2000ish, there were only two denied boarding. Now,,, that’s two too many. 

[victory2020]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Thanks! That is good to know. We are in full-on lock down in my house now, except when I have to go to work. I wear an N95 mask when I am anywhere at work where I have to be within about 30 feet of another human and all of the people who work within my office suite are vaccinated. So I think the chances of either of us actually having COVID when we do our testing at the pier are extremely low, but like I said, my husband was concerned about the rate of false positives.

I'll be doing this 10 days before my cruise. I'm also getting a covid test just to make sure before quarantine & also see what I'll be going through 42 hours before getting on the plane.

[JamieLogical]

18 minutes ago, victory2020 said:

I'll be doing this 10 days before my cruise. I'm also getting a covid test just to make sure before quarantine & also see what I'll be going through 42 hours before getting on the plane.

 

We started Wednesday because that was two weeks out from the PCR test we are required to do for Bermuda's Travel Authorization process. The first in a series of 3-4 tests we are going to have to take before we board the ship on the 26th.

[AKR2011]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

My husband is concerned about the rate of false positives with antigen tests. If we get tested at the pier and one of us tests positive with the initial antigen test, do they retest or are you SOL?

They definitely retest. We saw that on The Gem. A couple was pulled to a separate area to be retested. However, it wasn’t private, which upset me a bit. It was right next to the testing area, and the staff pointed them out when I asked what would happen if we tested positive. They really should have a private area in my opinion.

[KAYKAY121]

38 minutes ago, AKR2011 said:

They definitely retest. We saw that on The Gem. A couple was pulled to a separate area to be retested. However, it wasn’t private, which upset me a bit. It was right next to the testing area, and the staff pointed them out when I asked what would happen if we tested positive. They really should have a private area in my opinion.

It is public knowledge that everyone on a NCL Cruise is vaccinated so why does it need to be private when the other tests aren't private? Everyone there is being tested just some twice. 

[julig22]

2 hours ago, KAYKAY121 said:

It is public knowledge that everyone on a NCL Cruise is vaccinated so why does it need to be private when the other tests aren't private? Everyone there is being tested just some twice. 

Well, if I saw someone on the cruise that I also saw being retested, in the back of my mind would be which test was accurate - the first positive or the second negative.  So I agree that private might be appropriate for 2nd tests, just to keep rumors to a minimum.

[AKR2011]

2 hours ago, julig22 said:

Well, if I saw someone on the cruise that I also saw being retested, in the back of my mind would be which test was accurate - the first positive or the second negative.  So I agree that private might be appropriate for 2nd tests, just to keep rumors to a minimum.

Exactly. And I feel like it violates HIPPA. It's telling everyone waiting for their results who is positive and needing another test. Just a separate room or space would be an improvement instead of right next to the area where everyone is waiting for their results and can see the second testers.

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, julig22 said:

Well, if I saw someone on the cruise that I also saw being retested, in the back of my mind would be which test was accurate - the first positive or the second negative.  So I agree that private might be appropriate for 2nd tests, just to keep rumors to a minimum.

You may need a retest if your results were inconclusive. There are more reasons than a positive test. 

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

3 hours ago, AKR2011 said:

Exactly. And I feel like it violates HIPPA. It's telling everyone waiting for their results who is positive and needing another test. Just a separate room or space would be an improvement instead of right next to the area where everyone is waiting for their results and can see the second testers.

 Not a HIPPA violation.  Lots of reasons other than positive test.  Inconclusive test results, contaminated sample etc.

 

[ew101]

12 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

My husband is concerned about the rate of false positives with antigen tests. 

How Accurate Are Rapid COVID Tests? What Research Shows (healthline.com)

 

[phillygwm]

21 hours ago, AKR2011 said:

They definitely retest. We saw that on The Gem. A couple was pulled to a separate area to be retested. However, it wasn’t private, which upset me a bit. It was right next to the testing area, and the staff pointed them out when I asked what would happen if we tested positive. They really should have a private area in my opinion.

I suppose if they were testing for an STD I'd want it to be in a private area 🙂  For COVID, with you and everyone around you vaxxed, I'm not sure there's quite the same stigma

[gatorchinsky]

I am glad they would retest if someone tested positive.  We just went through a testing issue with our son (not for cruising).  First rapid test came back positive.  My DH knows about the different brands of rapid tests out there and he was skeptical of the results.  Two rapid results and a PCR result later and all three were negative.

 

I’m jealous of everyone cruising now but we’ll be back in November 2022.  A very long wait but at least I get to live vicariously thru others😀

[KAYKAY121]

On 9/10/2021 at 5:23 PM, AKR2011 said:

Exactly. And I feel like it violates HIPPA. It's telling everyone waiting for their results who is positive and needing another test. Just a separate room or space would be an improvement instead of right next to the area where everyone is waiting for their results and can see the second testers.

HIPPA apparently doesn't apply to Covid. It is a shame. People are asking customers, staff, etc. I have no issue with whether you are or not. Just praying mine works. 

[shof515]

what kind of test do they use a re-test? 

 

For the bermuda cruise, if you test negative for the PCR test that you need to take 96 hours before sail date and negative for the NCL antigen test and somehow positive on the pcr test that they do at the terminal. what will happen? Wait until the ship docks in Bermuda for the the re-test?

[JamieLogical]

25 minutes ago, shof515 said:

what kind of test do they use a re-test? 

 

For the bermuda cruise, if you test negative for the PCR test that you need to take 96 hours before sail date and negative for the NCL antigen test and somehow positive on the pcr test that they do at the terminal. what will happen? Wait until the ship docks in Bermuda for the the re-test?

 

I suspect that if your 96 hour PCR test is negative and your antigen test at the pier is negative, the chances of the PCR test at the pier being positive are very low. But NCL has testing capabilities onboard, so I assume as soon as that pier PCR test comes back positive sometime the next day, they will ask you to isolate and retest you at the medical facilities onboard. If the retest is negative, you can probably proceed as normal. If the retest is positive, it's not clear to me if you will just be required to isolate onboard until back in NYC or if you will be disembarked and required to quarantine in Bermuda.

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, KAYKAY121 said:

HIPPA apparently doesn't apply to Covid. It is a shame. People are asking customers, staff, etc. I have no issue with whether you are or not. Just praying mine works. 

 

First of all, it's HIPAA.  And HIPAA doesn't apply to specific diseases, it applies to individuals' health information and governs the disclosure thereof by covered entities, not the entire world.  As with so much these days, there has been gross misinformation spread on social media about what HIPAA requires and prohibits.  HIPAA is not a general medical privacy law, and nothing in HIPAA prohibits a retail business from asking its customers if they are vaccinated, etc.  

 

    

[DCGuy64]

42 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

First of all, it's HIPAA.  And HIPAA doesn't apply to specific diseases, it applies to individuals' health information and governs the disclosure thereof by covered entities, not the entire world.  As with so much these days, there has been gross misinformation spread on social media about what HIPAA requires and prohibits.  HIPAA is not a general medical privacy law, and nothing in HIPAA prohibits a retail business from asking its customers if they are vaccinated, etc.  

 

    

Exactly right. Almost from its inception, HIPAA as been misunderstood by the general public as a blanket immunity from being asked about one's health status. It ONLY applies to health care providers, NOT the general public. So your doctor's office can't ask about your health information without your consent, but department stores, cruise lines, employers, basically everybody outside the health care field, CAN. The fact that so many people misspell the acronym as 'HIPPA' tells me they likely have no clue what it is in the first place. 

[JamieLogical]

6 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Exactly right. Almost from its inception, HIPAA as been misunderstood by the general public as a blanket immunity from being asked about one's health status. It ONLY applies to health care providers, NOT the general public. So your doctor's office can't ask about your health information without your consent, but department stores, cruise lines, employers, basically everybody outside the health care field, CAN. The fact that so many people misspell the acronym as 'HIPPA' tells me they likely have no clue what it is in the first place. 

 

It's also absurd to think that HIPAA provides you with such complete privacy as to not even be seen at a testing site. If I go to get my flu shot at my local grocery store, of course I have no expectation of privacy. Other shoppers are going to see me lined up/waiting in the flu shot area....

[irishgirl666]

On 9/10/2021 at 11:13 AM, JamieLogical said:

 

We started Wednesday because that was two weeks out from the PCR test we are required to do for Bermuda's Travel Authorization process. The first in a series of 3-4 tests we are going to have to take before we board the ship on the 26th.

We are going on the same cruise.  I am just worried that the test results (PCR) will not be back in time for sailing.  They only give you 4 days prior to sailing to get it done.  Results take at least two days.

 

[Turtles06]

29 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Exactly right. Almost from its inception, HIPAA as been misunderstood by the general public as a blanket immunity from being asked about one's health status. It ONLY applies to health care providers, NOT the general public. So your doctor's office can't ask about your health information without your consent, but department stores, cruise lines, employers, basically everybody outside the health care field, CAN. The fact that so many people misspell the acronym as 'HIPPA' tells me they likely have no clue what it is in the first place. 

 

I'm sure you are aware that your doctor's office can ask you anything they want, and that you meant to say they can't disclose your health information to others without your consent.  😉

[JamieLogical]

10 minutes ago, irishgirl666 said:

We are going on the same cruise.  I am just worried that the test results (PCR) will not be back in time for sailing.  They only give you 4 days prior to sailing to get it done.  Results take at least two days.

 

 

Correct. You are to test on Wednesday and Bermuda has stated they deadline for submitting your completed application is Saturday at 2:00pm. I personally hope to have my results and compete my application by the end of day on Friday in order to allow more time, as Bermuda also states it can take up to 24 hours to process your application. My scheduled arrival time at the terminal is 9:30am on Sunday, so I think I would be cutting it WAY too close if I submitted my application anytime on Saturday.

[DCGuy64]

18 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I'm sure you are aware that your doctor's office can ask you anything they want, and that you meant to say they can't disclose your health information to others without your consent.  😉

Yes, I initially wrote that your doctor's office can share your protected health information (PHI), but that non health care companies can. But I don't believe your grocery store, for instance, could ask you about your vaccination status and then post it online for all to see. Since I didn't want to give that impression, I proofread my comment before posting it and changed it to say that doctor's offices, etc. can ask about your PHI. A lot of times I post things on here, there are multiple revisions no one but me sees, because I try to be clear and correct when I post. 😉