**** CARNIVAL COVID TESTING THREAD #2 **** JANUARY 6, 2002

[KmomChicago]

2 minutes ago, pkster said:

If the person is eligible for the first booster but hasn't gotten it, then they are not up-to-date with their vaccines and 72 hours is not right.  From Have Fun. Be Safe. | COVID-19 Guest Protocols | Carnival Cruise Line:

 

If a guest is fully vaccinated but not up to date with their vaccines (i.e., is eligible for a booster but has not received one), they must take their pre-cruise COVID-19 test within two days prior to sailing.

I thought this as well; however the friend's mom is going by what VeriFLY said, and it said they could test after 5pm on Thursday for a Monday cruise, having added all their vaccine information. However they did the test this morning and it says they can't upload until "later" where we were able to upload as soon as we got the results today.

[pkster]

1 minute ago, KmomChicago said:

I thought this as well; however the friend's mom is going by what VeriFLY said, and it said they could test after 5pm on Thursday for a Monday cruise, having added all their vaccine information. However they did the test this morning and it says they can't upload until "later" where we were able to upload as soon as we got the results today.

I wouldn't chance it with what VeriFLY is telling them.  Carnival's policy is either 3 days before or two days before.  If they are eligible to test 3 days before for a Monday cruise, then the earliest they could test is Friday.  If they're not eligible until 2 days before the Monday cruise, then the earliest they could test is Saturday.

[KmomChicago]

3 minutes ago, pkster said:

I wouldn't chance it with what VeriFLY is telling them.  Carnival's policy is either 3 days before or two days before.  If they are eligible to test 3 days before for a Monday cruise, then the earliest they could test is Friday.  If they're not eligible until 2 days before the Monday cruise, then the earliest they could test is Saturday.

I agree. I think VeriFLY will reject it. They can then do one of two things (they are in another location and not here with us). They can try to reschedule another test for tomorrow, or we bought several proctored BINAX NOW tests which we will bring along with us and we will be with the friend for more than 24 hours before we board the cruise so we'll use that if we need to.

[Joe817]

I don't understand. Why use VeriFLY at all, since there are so many bugs in it as to cause undue stress and these problems? 

 

This is the main reason we are not even considering this new 'procedure', until after the kinks are worked out. Why re-invent the mousetrap when the old system worked so well? We are going the all paper route, as we've done on our past cruises. 

[debsjc]

Can anyone help with the Carnival testing requirements ex the UK please? The Carnival website is not very helpful, we are on the Pride ex Dover in July.

 

Not sure which type of tests are acceptable (i'm guessing lateral flow is fine), if they have to be video witnessed, and how long before the cruise we do them. We are fully vaccinated. 

[arizdback]

16 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

I agree. I think VeriFLY will reject it. They can then do one of two things (they are in another location and not here with us).

This is what makes me laugh about Verifly. I highly suspect that all your paperwork is being routed offshore to some person sitting in a cubicle looking at your paperwork and then putting a virtual check or X on the account. It just screams of TSA theater. You can send them a picture of your vaccine card but you can't show a picture of your vaccine card at the port. The Verifly people don't do anything that the smiling agent at check in does.

[Hoosierpop]

I’ve seen references to hours vs days in terms of testing. And maybe I’m missing it on Carnival’s site, but it says vaccinated but not boosted can test two days prior to a sailing. So if a sailing is on Sunday, vaccinated guests can test Friday. I take that to mean anytime Friday. So if someone tested at 12:01 on Friday that would be more than 48 hours before a Sunday sailing but still within Carnival’s two day rule.

 

Where is the number of hours coming into play here?

[mjayp]

I'm wondering if anyone has cruised recently who tested positive for COVID within the 3 month window.  I believe that the wording on the Carnival website has changed, and it appears that a doctors note of recovery is no longer required, only proof of a positive test within 3 months (as long as it is greater than 10 days) prior to sailing.  Can anyone who recently had COVID verify this?  I just want to make sure I am not missing something.  

 

Document of Recovery

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 document of recovery from COVID-19. A Document of Recovery is accepted from both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated guests (with a Carnival-approved exemption) and consists of a paper or electronic copy of the positive viral test result from a certified laboratory (dated no more than 90 days prior to the sailing date).

[pkster]

25 minutes ago, mjayp said:

I'm wondering if anyone has cruised recently who tested positive for COVID within the 3 month window.  I believe that the wording on the Carnival website has changed, and it appears that a doctors note of recovery is no longer required, only proof of a positive test within 3 months (as long as it is greater than 10 days) prior to sailing.  Can anyone who recently had COVID verify this?  I just want to make sure I am not missing something.  

 

Document of Recovery

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 document of recovery from COVID-19. A Document of Recovery is accepted from both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated guests (with a Carnival-approved exemption) and consists of a paper or electronic copy of the positive viral test result from a certified laboratory (dated no more than 90 days prior to the sailing date).

I'm wondering this as well.  Particularly, has anybody used only the positive certified lab test result (within 3 months, 10 days past positive date, no current symptoms) as Document of Recovery to board an Alaskan sailing with a stop in Canada (instead of a pre-cruise test)?

[Partyof5AZ]

Hello!

 

I've skipped though this long thread and have 2 questions. Are boosters required? My 2 kids (8yo and 5yo) will be almost 7 months from their 2nd shot when we go in July.

 

My husband lost his card, but has a department of health print out- I saw someone say they won't take that? Any clarification please.

[captainmayi]

Has anyone used the government issued Ihealth covid tests to cruise?  I know you have to get it proctored which right now they don't have any openings.  However, rapid test and trace does.  I'm just trying to save money if possible. Oh and we don't have a CVS in our town and Walgreens does not offer testing here either...

[KansasinJune]

Sorry if this has been asked but I understand from reading carnival website that only vaccinated passengers can go on excursions.   Do excursions also require boosters?

[ninjacat123]

On 5/27/2022 at 6:13 PM, Joe817 said:

I don't understand. Why use VeriFLY at all, since there are so many bugs in it as to cause undue stress and these problems? 

 

This is the main reason we are not even considering this new 'procedure', until after the kinks are worked out. Why re-invent the mousetrap when the old system worked so well? We are going the all paper route, as we've done on our past cruises. 

I have to say on my last two using VeriFLY the process was smooth and took less time.  Not a ton of time was saved but knowing I had VeriFLY completed AND had all my paperwork at the ready, my stress level was much lower than previous cruises.  I'm a shaky mess when I'm going through embarkation😜

[Shawnm311]

On 5/19/2022 at 8:29 AM, acook620 said:

I called carnival and she said the rapid NAAT would work for the 4 year old. We did a pcr yesterday before we knew this. We are going to do a rapid NAAT today since the pcr May take too long to come in. I’ll update if we have any issue getting on board this Saturday with a rapid NAAT result for the 4 year old

Did you have any issues using the rapid NAAT to get your child on the cruise?  I just called carnival and they said my 3 year old would need the PCR that takes 48 hours.  They specifically said the 48 hour one when looking at Walgreens testing options.
I'm sure different carnival reps would have different answers. 

Edited June 8, 2022 by Shawnm311

[nicolelarios]

Hello Everyone!

 

Has anyone used the Onpoint proctored testing?

 

https://onpoint-testing.com/product/certified-teleservice-covid-testing/?gclid=CjwKCAjwkYGVBhArEiwA4sZLuGb9Uk6Yl5mGrYXa1qBtOz_iTS7N0lOBsHPGma86HSP2Q8gm_oyTJhoCBqkQAvD_BwE

[febtober]

Has anyone boarded with a child under 2 recently?

 

Originally when making my reservation a few months ago, I was told they'd need a vaccine exemption, the same as any other unvaccinated guest, so we applied for one.  Although now I see on CCL's COVID page, "Children under five are not required to apply for a vaccine exemption. However, they must still follow requirements for unvaccinated guests including pre-cruise and embarkation day testing, destination and camp restrictions, etc", so that's good.

 

Although further down it states, "Guests age 2 and older must present a negative PCR COVID-19 test".

 

So in one spot CCL states that children "5 and younger" need a negative test, and in another spot they state children "2 and older" need a negative test.  They don't explicitly state that children under 2 do not need a negative test, but it seems to be implied by the second statement...

Edited June 9, 2022 by febtober

[captainmayi]

23 hours ago, nicolelarios said:

Hello Everyone!

 

Has anyone used the Onpoint proctored testing?

 

https://onpoint-testing.com/product/certified-teleservice-covid-testing/?gclid=CjwKCAjwkYGVBhArEiwA4sZLuGb9Uk6Yl5mGrYXa1qBtOz_iTS7N0lOBsHPGma86HSP2Q8gm_oyTJhoCBqkQAvD_BwE

No, but curious to find out as it's even cheaper than Rapid Test & Trace

[butterfly55]

On 5/10/2022 at 10:04 AM, azalea4va said:

Not exactly.  And Carnival has really screwed this up with there messaging.  A PCR is a type of "molecular" test.  This is the quote from Canada's website.

Molecular tests

• PCR - Polymerase chain reaction
• Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)
• Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)

Canada accepts any molecualr test which includes NAAT and PCR.  Carnival's website says just a PCR is acceptable.  Clear as mud.  Totally irresponsible on Carnival's part.

Can anyone confirm that the NAAT rapid test that Walgreens does is acceptable for Canada? We have a stop there for our Alaska cruise. The way I read it on Carnival's website it is acceptable. This is what it states on Canada's website:

CANADA'S REQUIREMENTS:

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/cruise

Getting an embarkation test before you board a ship that will dock in Canada

All travellers 5 years of age or older must have a COVID-19 test to board a cruise ship in Canada or board a cruise ship that will dock in Canada at any point on the cruise. You must provide proof of one of the following accepted types of test results:

1. Proof of a professionally administered or observed negative antigen test taken no more than 2 days before you’re scheduled to board your ship
   • the 2-day window does not depend on the time of day the test was taken or the time that you board

   • for example, if your ship is scheduled to leave on Friday, you could provide proof of a negative result from an antigen test taken any time on Wednesday, Thursday, or on Friday

   • it must be administered or observed by a pharmacy, laboratory, healthcare entity or telehealth online service

   • the test must be authorized for sale or distribution in Canada or in the jurisdiction in which it was obtained

2. Proof of a valid negative molecular test taken within 72 hours of your scheduled boarding time
   • for example, if you’re scheduled to board at 11:00 am on Friday, your test must have been taken any time after 10:59 am on Tuesday

3. Previous positive molecular test result: you no longer have symptoms and provide proof of a positive molecular test taken at least 10 calendar days and no more than 180 calendar days before you board. Counting starts the day after your test.
   • for example, if your positive COVID-19 molecular test was taken on January 1, then January 11 would be the earliest scheduled date you could board

   • a positive antigen test result is never a valid test result for boarding a ship and can’t be used as proof of a previous infection

Accepted types of tests

Molecular tests

• PCR - Polymerase chain reaction

• Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)

• Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)

These tests use methods such as a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, nose swab, or saliva sample.

Thanks for any answers.

[1kaper]

On 6/12/2022 at 8:40 PM, butterfly55 said:

Can anyone confirm that the NAAT rapid test that Walgreens does is acceptable for Canada? We have a stop there for our Alaska cruise. The way I read it on Carnival's website it is acceptable. This is what it states on Canada's website:

CANADA'S REQUIREMENTS:

 

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/cruise

 

Getting an embarkation test before you board a ship that will dock in Canada

 

All travellers 5 years of age or older must have a COVID-19 test to board a cruise ship in Canada or board a cruise ship that will dock in Canada at any point on the cruise. You must provide proof of one of the following accepted types of test results:

 

1. Proof of a professionally administered or observed negative antigen test taken no more than 2 days before you’re scheduled to board your ship

    

   • the 2-day window does not depend on the time of day the test was taken or the time that you board

      

   • for example, if your ship is scheduled to leave on Friday, you could provide proof of a negative result from an antigen test taken any time on Wednesday, Thursday, or on Friday

      

   • it must be administered or observed by a pharmacy, laboratory, healthcare entity or telehealth online service

      

   • the test must be authorized for sale or distribution in Canada or in the jurisdiction in which it was obtained

      

2. Proof of a valid negative molecular test taken within 72 hours of your scheduled boarding time

    

   • for example, if you’re scheduled to board at 11:00 am on Friday, your test must have been taken any time after 10:59 am on Tuesday

      

3. Previous positive molecular test result: you no longer have symptoms and provide proof of a positive molecular test taken at least 10 calendar days and no more than 180 calendar days before you board. Counting starts the day after your test.

    

   • for example, if your positive COVID-19 molecular test was taken on January 1, then January 11 would be the earliest scheduled date you could board

      

   • a positive antigen test result is never a valid test result for boarding a ship and can’t be used as proof of a previous infection

      

Accepted types of tests

 

Molecular tests

 

• PCR - Polymerase chain reaction

   

• Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)

   

• Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)

   

These tests use methods such as a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, nose swab, or saliva sample.

 

 

Thanks for any answers.

 

NAAT is considered more accurate than an antigen test.  It is a type of molecular test.  
In your post under accepted tests it has a list of molecular tests and NAAT is the second one. 

So yes, it is an accepted molecular test. 

[04cruises]

We leave next week from Port Canaveral. Is a NAAT test by Walgreens acceptable. Carnival site has us confused so please anybody that knows for sure please help. Thank you. 

[1kaper]

38 minutes ago, 04cruises said:

We leave next week from Port Canaveral. Is a NAAT test by Walgreens acceptable. Carnival site has us confused so please anybody that knows for sure please help. Thank you. 

 

Yes. 

[cellfree]

4 hours ago, 04cruises said:

We leave next week from Port Canaveral. Is a NAAT test by Walgreens acceptable. Carnival site has us confused so please anybody that knows for sure please help. Thank you. 

Used it several cruises since November 2021. 

[yakefu]

On 6/9/2022 at 3:35 AM, febtober said:

Has anyone boarded with a child under 2 recently?

 

Originally when making my reservation a few months ago, I was told they'd need a vaccine exemption, the same as any other unvaccinated guest, so we applied for one.  Although now I see on CCL's COVID page, "Children under five are not required to apply for a vaccine exemption. However, they must still follow requirements for unvaccinated guests including pre-cruise and embarkation day testing, destination and camp restrictions, etc", so that's good.

 

Although further down it states, "Guests age 2 and older must present a negative PCR COVID-19 test".

 

So in one spot CCL states that children "5 and younger" need a negative test, and in another spot they state children "2 and older" need a negative test.  They don't explicitly state that children under 2 do not need a negative test, but it seems to be implied by the second statement...

I will take my daughter who is 14 months. From what I read on the carnival covid website, I think she doesn't need the test at all. All the request is for 2 years older to 5 years. My son is 4 years and 5 months. He need to be test in 72 hours-24 hours window. And he also need a antigen test when check in on board.

[butterfly55]

On 6/14/2022 at 8:06 AM, 1kaper said:

 

NAAT is considered more accurate than an antigen test.  It is a type of molecular test.  
In your post under accepted tests it has a list of molecular tests and NAAT is the second one. 

So yes, it is an accepted molecular test. 

Thank you very much for your answer.

[Ranyw]

6 hours ago, yakefu said:

I will take my daughter who is 14 months. From what I read on the carnival covid website, I think she doesn't need the test at all. All the request is for 2 years older to 5 years. My son is 4 years and 5 months. He need to be test in 72 hours-24 hours window. And he also need a antigen test when check in on board.

Can anyone share their experience if we need to prebook the kids antigen tests at the port? I see something to prebook for $100 per person but not sure if the “kids testing” is separate from that?