Positive Covid test 2 weeks prior to cruise - documentation needed?

[LJProk]

My husband tested positive, it will be more than 10 days before our cruise, and he is already asymptomatic. We know he needs the initial positive test date showing it was more than 10 days before the cruise. But what else does he need? I have called HAL, they didn't really answer the question. Online it says a "DCC" from a Dr, but that is for EU (even HAL said that is for EU cruises). Help!! It's a holiday weekend and we fly to Alaska next Tuesday so need to figure it out this weekend to have all paperwork needed.

[syesmar]

HAL may be concerned about you as a close household contact, depending on the timing: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/COVID-19-protection-program.html

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/travel-well/frequently-asked-questions/faq-for-cruises-from-usa.html

 

Also see CDC guidance for travel: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html

 

Best wishes to you and your husband. Prayers for his continued recovery and that you stay well.

[LJProk]

20 minutes ago, syesmar said:

HAL may be concerned about you as a close household contact, depending on the timing: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/COVID-19-protection-program.html

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/travel-well/frequently-asked-questions/faq-for-cruises-from-usa.html

 

Also see CDC guidance for travel: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html

 

Best wishes to you and your husband. Prayers for his continued recovery and that you stay well.

Thank you. Thankfully we've all had boosters (recently) and have pretty much all been isolating in separate bedrooms at home (easy for the teen boys, LOL!). 

[Laminator]

1 hour ago, syesmar said:

HAL may be concerned about you as a close household contact, depending on the timing: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/COVID-19-protection-program.html

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/travel-well/frequently-asked-questions/faq-for-cruises-from-usa.html

 

Also see CDC guidance for travel: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html

 

Best wishes to you and your husband. Prayers for his continued recovery and that you stay well.

As an aside I went to the DR yesterday and forgot to ask about the Paxlovid prescription so I will be of no help. To many other discussions took place. We were there an hour. All good discussions BTW. 

[Mopree]

2 hours ago, LJProk said:

My husband tested positive, it will be more than 10 days before our cruise, and he is already asymptomatic. We know he needs the initial positive test date showing it was more than 10 days before the cruise. But what else does he need? I have called HAL, they didn't really answer the question. Online it says a "DCC" from a Dr, but that is for EU (even HAL said that is for EU cruises). Help!! It's a holiday weekend and we fly to Alaska next Tuesday so need to figure it out this weekend to have all paperwork needed.

We had a similiar situation. Cruise leaving Vancouver on May 4th and a positive PCR test on April 21st. We had tested positive on April 10th with an at home rapid test. By April 21st we were symptom free but still tested positive. We did not do a pre cruise test and Holland America accepted our positive PCR. We had called Holland America for confirmation that the positive test 13 days prior was acceptable. A note was put on our file after a bit of confusion at the port we were cleared to board. I have heard that people flying from Canada to the US with a positive PCR result were also asked for a letter of recovery. I realize your situation is different but hope this gives you just a bit more information. 

[LJProk]

35 minutes ago, Mopree said:

We had a similiar situation. Cruise leaving Vancouver on May 4th and a positive PCR test on April 21st. We had tested positive on April 10th with an at home rapid test. By April 21st we were symptom free but still tested positive. We did not do a pre cruise test and Holland America accepted our positive PCR. We had called Holland America for confirmation that the positive test 13 days prior was acceptable. A note was put on our file after a bit of confusion at the port we were cleared to board. I have heard that people flying from Canada to the US with a positive PCR result were also asked for a letter of recovery. I realize your situation is different but hope this gives you just a bit more information. 

Thank you!!! That helps for sure. I will call back to HAL on Tuesday and see if they need to add a note. We fly to Anchorage on Tuesday, then do Denali, then board Noordam on Sunday 6/5. I know they will test in Denali and just trying to make sure we have all bases covered up front.

[Mopree]

39 minutes ago, LJProk said:

Thank you!!! That helps for sure. I will call back to HAL on Tuesday and see if they need to add a note. We fly to Anchorage on Tuesday, then do Denali, then board Noordam on Sunday 6/5. I know they will test in Denali and just trying to make sure we have all bases covered up front.

Are you flying to Anchorage from the US or Canada?

[LJProk]

27 minutes ago, Mopree said:

Are you flying to Anchorage from the US or Canada?

Anchorage from US. Then Vancouver back to DFW.

[cwd79]

In a similar situation. Flying in two weeks for our June 11th cruise... I tested positive on a home covid test about six days ago. My symptoms are gone now and because I was curious, I did a Walgreen drive thru Covid test today and Rapid NAAT shows positive for Covid... I'm assuming I can use the results from the Rapid NAAT from today that shows positive but I don't have a primary care doctor, so how do I get a letter of recovery? 

[LJProk]

48 minutes ago, cwd79 said:

In a similar situation. Flying in two weeks for our June 11th cruise... I tested positive on a home covid test about six days ago. My symptoms are gone now and because I was curious, I did a Walgreen drive thru Covid test today and Rapid NAAT shows positive for Covid... I'm assuming I can use the results from the Rapid NAAT from today that shows positive but I don't have a primary care doctor, so how do I get a letter of recovery? 

My husband is going back to CVS Minute Clinic to get a second test and to get a letter. Online they say they will do a letter for travel, if you didn't initially test there take the paperwork from your test as proof (the walgreens test, not the home test).

[Mopree]

2 hours ago, LJProk said:

Anchorage from US. Then Vancouver back to DFW.

That's good. I have heard that flying from Canada to the US using a positive PCR result doesn't always work without a letter of recovery. By the time you are tested to fly home the antigen test should be negative. Enjoy your cruise!

[Mopree]

8 minutes ago, Mopree said:

That's good. I have heard that flying from Canada to the US using a positive PCR result doesn't always work without a letter of recovery. By the time you are tested to fly home the antigen test should be negative. Enjoy your cruise!

I should add that 3 days before your cruise you will need to fill out a Holland America Health Questionnaire.  One of the questions was something to the effect of "Have you been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive for covid in the last 14 days" I had to answer yes as our positive PCR test results were within that time frame. Answering yes meant I could not continue with the questionnaire. You cannot go back and change your answer! That is when I called Holland America and they put a note on our file. As we did not have a negative test result we could not use Verifly either. So many details and so many things to stress about. Everything worked out and we had a great time!

[ELins]

We are in the same situation.  My husband and I both got our positive test results at our local urgent care clinic.  What is not clear to me is if we need anything other than the test results.  Do we have to have a “letter of recovery” for HAL to get on the cruise?  Or is the paperwork showing a positive test sufficient.  We are also on 11 June cruise out of Vancouver on the Rotterdam 😁. 
 

[shipshapegirl]

34 minutes ago, ELins said:

We are in the same situation.  My husband and I both got our positive test results at our local urgent care clinic.  What is not clear to me is if we need anything other than the test results.  Do we have to have a “letter of recovery” for HAL to get on the cruise?  Or is the paperwork showing a positive test sufficient.  We are also on 11 June cruise out of Vancouver on the Rotterdam 😁. 
 

I am not sure if things have changed since April but my husband and I had Covid in February and were going on the Transatlantic.  I was afraid one of the countries we were visiting would require a PCR which could still show positive.  I called Holland America and they said I would still need to have a Letter of Recovery.  We also had our Covid tests at our local Urgent Care Clinic.  They sent me to our local county Health Department, where they furnished us with a Letter of Recovery with all the information we needed.  When we got to the cruise port, it didn't matter what we had because they tested everyone getting on the ship, maybe because we were going to Europe.  We had not problem passing the antigen test.  

[muffin]

You are absolutely fine. There is no letter of recovery needed. If I knew how to post a photo I could show you the proof. It is on the TravelWell page of HAL and has a pdf file dated May 19/22 update for alaska and Canada info.  As long as your positive , proctored, or witnessed test is 10 days or more before you sail, and no longer ago than 90 days you are good to go.  it is a bit hard to find on the Travel Well site, (all one word) but just explore around. Or, as most people will want to do, simply phone HAL and put your mind at ease.Really sad there are medical professionals online selling letters of recovery for $119, done virtually with you checking off boxes, when it is a scam.  

[shipshapegirl]

Thank you, muffin.  This has been added new.  I have copied and pasted the info.

 

 

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

Guests who have recovered from COVID-19 within three months of their embarkation, do not need to get a viral test before embarkation if they are at least 10 days past their COVID-19 infection, have no symptoms and produce documentation of recovery from COVID-19 infection. 

 

Documentation of Recovery consists of the following: 

• Paper or electronic copies of the positive viral test result from a certified laboratory (dated no more than 90 days ago), or 
• A valid digital COVID-19 certificate (DCC) or a document issued by an official health or government authority showing confirmed previous infection. 

 

Guests who present these documents will need to go through a secondary screening at the terminal and boarding will be approved at the medical staff’s discretion. If guests are not able to obtain documentation of recovery that fulfills the above requirements, they will need to take the required COVID-19 viral test and show a negative result. 

[muffin]

So glad some cc people are literate online! Thx for finding and posting Shipshapegirl. When people read it, be sure to read slowly and notice important words like “ or “.  We are using our posative tests this mid june after having to cancel 2 days before our cruise of mid May.  We both ended up positive and are sooo glad we did…..don’t have to fear that last test again!    We  both had a long cold…..fine now. Bon voyage.

 

readers, please note…this answer is only for Canada and Alaska trips.

Edited May 28, 2022 by muffin
Additional comment

[LJProk]

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/travel-well/frequently-asked-questions/faq-for-cruises-from-usa.html

 

at the bottom are questions you can click on, that's where shipshapegirl copied and pasted from. I did not see the "or" and neither did my husband. In fact I had to go find it again and send it to him so he believed me 😉

[muffin]

Yes, HAL a should have put that tiny word OR  in great big letters!  That’s why I mentioned it specifically in my note. Have to read the fine print too as they say!  Glad you are now set.

[darstamp]

On 5/27/2022 at 8:47 AM, LJProk said:

My husband tested positive, it will be more than 10 days before our cruise, and he is already asymptomatic. We know he needs the initial positive test date showing it was more than 10 days before the cruise. But what else does he need? I have called HAL, they didn't really answer the question. Online it says a "DCC" from a Dr, but that is for EU (even HAL said that is for EU cruises). Help!! It's a holiday weekend and we fly to Alaska next Tuesday so need to figure it out this weekend to have all paperwork needed.

My daughter got a PCR test as soon as she tested positive. It was 7 days before our cruise and we had to cancel.  HAL was great and rebooked us on the same cruise 4 weeks later.  She did lose her airfare. With the PCR test she was able to obtain a proof of recovery document.  It is our understanding that presenting the positive test and the proof of recovery document is what you have to do but I'm not sure if you have enough time.  

[S&B]

I never thought I would be asking this question but we are 5 weeks out from our cruise and I just tested positive.  We are on the Voyage of the Viking which does include Europe.  Can I get this Proof of Recovery document from Walgreens which is where I got the test?  It was their rapid test.   To get an appointment with our Dr. can take weeks.  

Thanks.

[12cruise2]

I say watch out for the "document of recovery".  HAL is quite vague about that.  I'll post what I found required for a generic certificate of recovery.  (I'll add that Celebrity requires the same info in its certificate of recovery, stated clearly on its web site.)  We will be going to our doctors before our next cruise to get Certificates of Recovery from them.  They told us to write the letters and bring them to the appointment.  Again, this is generic, but can't hurt if you can get into a doc. appt.

Can I provide a certificate of recovery?

Beginning with sailings departing on or after March 18, 2022, guests who have recently recovered from COVID-19 may present a Certificate of Recovery and proof of the positive PCR test result taken between 11-90 days prior to the sail date in order to board.  Carnival will not accept a Certificate of Recovery in place of a vaccination record. Additionally, please be aware that some ports of call do not accept a Certificate of Recovery for the purposes of debarking and enjoying the destination.

A Certificate of Recovery must meet the following requirements: 

• Be on official letterhead from a healthcare provider, public health official or telehealth provider showing:
  • The Provider’s name, address, phone number and 
  •  The Provider’s address 
  • The Provider’s phone number 
  • Confirmation of your recovery and completion of isolation 
• Be typed (not handwritten) and signed by the provider 
• Must confirm the sample collection date of the positive PCR test, which must be a minimum of 11 days and a maximum of 180 days before the departure date of your cruise 
• Date of validity must extend throughout the duration of your cruise 
• Include a positive result document for a COVID-19 PCR test taken a minimum of 11 days and a maximum of 90 days before the departure date of your cruise. 
  • An antigen test result will not be accepted with a Certificate of Recovery. 
  • The test results document from your test provider must include the name of the lab that processed the test, the lab’s CLIA Lab Number or Certification Number, the address of the lab, your name, the date the test was taken, type of test, and your positive result. 
  • This can be a printed document, email, or telehealth app notification. 
  • Fully handwritten doctor’s notes (such as those written on a prescription pad) will not be accepted. 
  • Minimal handwritten components (such as a check mark on a “positive” box) are acceptable as long as the other required information is printed on the document.

Edited June 1, 2022 by 12cruise2

[ljtinney]

On 5/27/2022 at 7:27 PM, Mopree said:

I should add that 3 days before your cruise you will need to fill out a Holland America Health Questionnaire.  One of the questions was something to the effect of "Have you been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive for covid in the last 14 days" I had to answer yes as our positive PCR test results were within that time frame. Answering yes meant I could not continue with the questionnaire. You cannot go back and change your answer! That is when I called Holland America and they put a note on our file. As we did not have a negative test result we could not use Verifly either. So many details and so many things to stress about. Everything worked out and we had a great time!

Thank you for posting this..... good to know. 

Did they have many questions when you arrived? 

Edited June 4, 2022 by ljtinney
edit

[Mopree]

2 hours ago, ljtinney said:

Thank you for posting this..... good to know. 

Did they have many questions when you arrived? 

At the port they just ensured that we were symptom free. We did not have to do an antigen test nor did they require a letter of recovery. People that had filled out Verifly were put through the line quicker. We had to get a picture taken. Standard covid questions and we were on our way. Our cruise started and ended in Vancouver and we live in Canada so no questions or issues to fly home. Arrivcan needs to be filled out but that is just travel plans, passport and vaccination documentation.