Experience using "Document of Recovery" and no test to board?

[coldweather]

Hello

 

I am interested to hear about recent experience of passengers using the "Document of Recovery" with NO covid test to board. 

 

The documentation on the Carnival website states you just need to show your prior test result from a lab.  No mention of doctors note.  No new test required.  Anyone have any RECENT experience using this?

 

Here's the documentation from the Carnival website:

 

Will I still need a pre-cruise COVID test before embarkation if I have recently recovered from COVID-19?

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 documentation of recovery from COVID-19.

Documentation of Recovery is accepted from both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated guests (with a Carnival-approved exemption) and consists of the paper or electronic copy of the positive viral test result from a certified laboratory (dated no more than 90 days ago).

[Rudyard]

When we did it for our last cruise a few weeks ago, the documentation of recovery was the doctor's letter saying you were not showing signs of covid and  were fit to travel. I've seen other people post recently that the wording for the requirements has changed but I haven't checked to see what's different. When we did it the requirements specifically said a doctor's not which had to contain certain information such as date of positive result, date of doctor's office visit, name, DOB, had to be on official letterhead, etc. 

[coldweather]

Thanks @Rudyard.  We're you able to use the Verifly app at all?  It looks like Verifly may only accept a negative test not the "document of recovery" of a positve test result between 10 and 90 days old.  Did you have to provide all paper docentation? 

[sparks1093]

The document of recovery is an option for those who have had COVID and can't produce a negative COVID test. If you are doing one of the at home proctored tests those aren't as sensitive. I had COVID in January and sailed near the end of February and had no trouble testing negative. I did get the document of recovery together, just in case, but didn't use it. At the time it was clear that it consisted of the doctor's note and the certified lab result. I was loathe to use it because it requires screening at the port by the medical staff, but subsequent reports indicate that the screening is mostly a formality and doesn't take long. I'd still rather skip it if able because if there are a lot of people waiting for it then it could take long.

[coldweather]

Hello.  I wanted to report back that I successfully boarded the Carnival Ecstacy in Mobile, AL on the April 16 cruise using a printed copy of my positive covid test results between 11 and 90 days in lieu of a negative covid test.  There were NO problems.  I was not asked for a doctors note.  I had a doctors note just in case but the positive test was sufficient. 

 

I also used a print out from my Electronic Medical Records of my vaccinations and I did not provide the "card."  No problems. 

 

I am sharing because this forum has helped me in the past.  I hope my sharing this information is helpful to others. 

[Yankeegirl49]

I asked John Heald on his FB page yesterday if a positive test was all that was required as stated on the Carnival web site  (no doctors letter) and was told by his assistant that the positive test is all that is needed. 

[Rudyard]

On 3/22/2022 at 10:17 PM, coldweather said:

Thanks @Rudyard.  We're you able to use the Verifly app at all?  It looks like Verifly may only accept a negative test not the "document of recovery" of a positve test result between 10 and 90 days old.  Did you have to provide all paper docentation? 

 

My apologies for not replying to this post. I must have missed the notification. Glad to hear things worked out for you. We cruise again in December and if protocols are still the way they are now we plan to get tested a couple of weeks out from the cruise even if we don't have any symptoms. If positive we'll be set to go. If negative we'll get tested again right before the cruise. 

[cairncrazy]

Can you use an urgent care proof of positive and not a lab?

[geneparmesan]

In case it helps anyone - my wife and I just used the "Document of Recovery" to board the Carnival Spirit in Seattle on May 10th. We had both the positive test result and letters from each of our doctors.

 

Our pre-cruise health assessment was flagged since we had symptoms within the last 14 days (we tested positive 13 days out from sailing), so the fun started at the first scan of our boarding passes at the health check. We presented the positive test result, and the employee checking us asked for the doctor's letter. I'm glad we actually had that, as I've read a few times on here that other people haven't been asked for this!

 

What followed was a 20-min discussion between that employee and a Carnival Manager - I think because we had symptoms within the last 14 days. The manager pulled up the policy on his phone and was showing the employee, but the employee didn't seem to agree with him. We were getting pretty nervous. Finally the employee was convinced, but then didn't know how to clear us, so she had to go find the manager again, and he showed her how.

 

When we went to do the actual check-in, we were flagged again when our passports were scanned, so that employee had to do another override. The final boarding pass scan to get on the ship worked though.

[Joe817]

Phew Gene! Pretty stressful. But congratulations on being able to board successfully! Good job! 👍

[Kodiak4fun]

We are boarding on June 5th. My DH tested positive on May 16th. We will be using his positive test as the document of recovery. I have a screen shot of the official Carnival policy as that qualifies as the only needed document. Hopefully there will be intelligent staff at check in.

 

I appreciate hearing other people's experiences.

[mjayp]

Can anyone who has used the document of recovery to board please advise whether there were any issues getting off in any ports?  I know that the Bahamas theoretically requests a negative test within 72 hrs of arrival, so am hoping that having a recent positive test result will be sufficient. 
 

[ldubs]

On 4/25/2022 at 4:02 AM, Yankeegirl49 said:

I asked John Heald on his FB page yesterday if a positive test was all that was required as stated on the Carnival web site  (no doctors letter) and was told by his assistant that the positive test is all that is needed. 

 

We boarded last week in SF.  Check-in staff is clueless about a COR -- looked at the doc's then asked where our negative test was -- two different times.  Most of the Carnival employees at the terminal didn't know what to do either.  We were sent to another line only to be asked why we were in that line.    Even tried to tell us we would have to pay for a test.  The key is to find that a Carnival person who knows what they are talking about.    Anyway, almost 2 hours later we were finally on board.  

Edited June 1, 2022 by ldubs

[ldubs]

On 3/22/2022 at 8:17 PM, coldweather said:

Thanks @Rudyard.  We're you able to use the Verifly app at all?  It looks like Verifly may only accept a negative test not the "document of recovery" of a positve test result between 10 and 90 days old.  Did you have to provide all paper docentation? 

 

We were not able to use the Verifly app with our COR on our recent cruise.  Bring the docs.  Might be a good idea to have a print of Carnival's policy on CORs too. 

[AnitaVacation]

ok...here's my monkey-wrench.  We tested positive after our last cruise (May 8-15).... we did home tests as soon as we got home, both of us positive (along with alot of others on that sailing).  A few days later, we decided that we had better get 'documented proof' right away just incase we still test positive before our next cruise (June 16th).

 

Our June cruise is going to BERMUDA!  Where we had to file (and pay) for a travel authorization.  Luckily, Bermuda is no longer asking for a negative test prior to boarding to be submitted directly to them, but you do have to submit paperwork at check-in.

 

So, my question is:  If we still test positive just before the cruise, will Bermuda accept our prior positive results for clearance?  Fingers crossed that we test negative, we still have 2 weeks until cruise time.