Debarkation unvacinnated child testing

[Love2cruisewkids]

I have unvaccinated 9 year old twins that will be cruising with us in July. What happens if child tests positive for covid with the shipboard test? Does the family have to quarantine? We will have our car and are live nearby. 

[ReneeFLL]

If you’re talking about the test they take before boarding and a child tests positive then they won’t be allowed on the ship. You will go home to quarantine since you live near the port. The quarantine rules are set by the CDC.

 

Edited June 17, 2022 by ReneeFLL

[Sunshine3601]

If you are talking about the test done the last full day before end of cruise.    then the child and one minor may be sent to the quarantine ward or they may let you all stay in the cabin.    I have heard done both ways lately.   

 

If you are talking about the test before the cruise, as Renee said then you will not be allowed to board the ship and will be refunded your money.   

[Quirky Cruiser]

We just got off Harmony last week and my 7 year old was asymptomatic and tested positive on the last day (our last day was a sea day). His brother tested negative. They were tested at 9am and they sent us on our way. For the next three hours we went to breakfast, swam, went rock climbing, went down the abyss slide, went on the climber, and we were waiting for the aqua show when guest services paged us. They asked us to report to medical and despite our son not having one single symptom, they refused to let him quarantine in our room. They made him go to the red zone with my husband. They asked me to quarantine with our other son in our room. I will warn you, if this happens to you, just know your rights. My son was given a room in a hallway filled with sick people. They had no towels and their toilet didn’t work. My other son and I spent the afternoon going back and forth and bribing them towels, food, clothing, etc. one of the stateroom attendants showed me how to get in and out and we were so grateful. They did page me later that afternoon because they wanted to test my husband and I, but we refused. You are allowed to do this. I needed to stay with my other son and pack. They never checked on us after that. Guest services ushered us off the ship last Sunday and we did immigration on the dock. They handed us a letter detailing how many days we were being reimbursed for and what to do if we were flying home. We drove so they sent us on our merry way. My son never had a single symptom. 
 

I spent a long time arguing with guest services and medical over why my son wasn’t allowed to come back to our room and they kept quoting the CDC. I will say, they do believe this is coming to an end soon. They all thought it was rediculous to put him in the red zone. They also think this portion of the testing may be ending soon too since it was more a US requirement and the airline requirement just ended. 
 

Hopefully you will never need to go through this, but just know that the results aren’t instant. Had we been at the pool, we would have never heard the page. And no, they don’t send people out to look for you. They paged people all day - same names over and over. They are just checking the box and moving on….

[3yorkies]

Sorry, but whether the child had any symptoms or not is immaterial.   If he is positive, he can infect others.    And only in the quarantine area can they monitor and be sure people don't leave and that their waste is properly handled.    

[Quirky Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, 3yorkies said:

Sorry, but whether the child had any symptoms or not is immaterial.   If he is positive, he can infect others.    And only in the quarantine area can they monitor and be sure people don't leave and that their waste is properly handled.    

It was laughable at how it was handled. For three hours after the test he was playing in areas with tons of others. He also went to adventure ocean and on two separate nights, children left sick - one with a fever and one who threw up. Medical called both families (we talked to the families) and asked if there were any other symptoms and then stated “oh, they are vaccinated, so they are good to go!” Completely laughable at this point. People hacking all over the place last week. I’m just giving the OP a synopsis of our events. Don’t really care if somebody thinks it was correctly handled or not. My husband and I have to work even if we are positive, so life is moving on. 

[iuki]

Although you don’t care whether or not if some agrees with how things were handled, asymptomatic people who test positive can spread the virus.  I’m surprised that you had the “right” to refuse being tested.  Maybe you don’t realize how you come across in your posting, but, to ME, you sound as though you don’t give a darn about other people.

[topnole]

47 minutes ago, Quirky Cruiser said:

It was laughable at how it was handled. For three hours after the test he was playing in areas with tons of others. He also went to adventure ocean and on two separate nights, children left sick - one with a fever and one who threw up. Medical called both families (we talked to the families) and asked if there were any other symptoms and then stated “oh, they are vaccinated, so they are good to go!” Completely laughable at this point. People hacking all over the place last week. I’m just giving the OP a synopsis of our events. Don’t really care if somebody thinks it was correctly handled or not. My husband and I have to work even if we are positive, so life is moving on. 

When our kids were test onboard last month we watch closely for the email they send you.  It took less than an hour for the results to come back.  They obviously offer the courtesy of not holding everyone until results come in, but I just assumed we were supposed to keep an eye for the results and act accordingly if they were positive.   I certainly wouldn’t have gone hours without looking.  If anything I would want to know asap so I could start packing and preparing for quarantine.  

[Quirky Cruiser]

Just now, topnole said:

When our kids were test onboard last month we watch closely for the email they send you.  It took less than an hour for the results to come back.  They obviously offer the courtesy of not holding everyone until results come in, but I just assumed we were supposed to keep an eye for the results and act accordingly if they were positive.   I certainly wouldn’t have gone hours without looking.  If anything I would want to know asap so I could start packing and preparing for quarantine.  

I'm on vacation, so we don't connect to Wi-fi. I don't walk around with my phone and I'm certainly not checking my email. They never even told us we could get results that way. Why would I even think he would be positive? He was running around, playing, not even a sniffle. I didn't have the slightest concern. Even when we went to medical, they asked us why we were there! Told us we needed an appointment later in the day. The whole thing was comical. There was no packing for them. I brought things back and forth to them in the red zone, while also talking to other parents standing outside rooms in the red zone. My husband said somebody donned a hazmat suit to bring them down to their room, but then after that, the people in the hallways were all just regular employees with just a face mask. No hazmat suits, no face shields. No biohazard bags everywhere. They would have been better off in our own cabin. By the time we take our next 7-day cruise, this testing will be long gone. 

[3yorkies]

iuki and topnole are obviously responsible people who are not the ones responsible for the spread of covid.    Because I teach classes to seniors every week, I test myself every single Sunday to be sure I am not responsible for unknowingly causing others who are more vulnerable to become ill.   It's simple courtesy and kindness and being a responsible person.   

[hollionthebeach]

1 hour ago, Quirky Cruiser said:

We just got off Harmony last week and my 7 year old was asymptomatic and tested positive on the last day (our last day was a sea day). His brother tested negative. They were tested at 9am and they sent us on our way. For the next three hours we went to breakfast, swam, went rock climbing, went down the abyss slide, went on the climber, and we were waiting for the aqua show when guest services paged us. They asked us to report to medical and despite our son not having one single symptom, they refused to let him quarantine in our room. They made him go to the red zone with my husband. They asked me to quarantine with our other son in our room. I will warn you, if this happens to you, just know your rights. My son was given a room in a hallway filled with sick people. They had no towels and their toilet didn’t work. My other son and I spent the afternoon going back and forth and bribing them towels, food, clothing, etc. one of the stateroom attendants showed me how to get in and out and we were so grateful. They did page me later that afternoon because they wanted to test my husband and I, but we refused. You are allowed to do this. I needed to stay with my other son and pack. They never checked on us after that. Guest services ushered us off the ship last Sunday and we did immigration on the dock. They handed us a letter detailing how many days we were being reimbursed for and what to do if we were flying home. We drove so they sent us on our merry way. My son never had a single symptom. 
 

I spent a long time arguing with guest services and medical over why my son wasn’t allowed to come back to our room and they kept quoting the CDC. I will say, they do believe this is coming to an end soon. They all thought it was rediculous to put him in the red zone. They also think this portion of the testing may be ending soon too since it was more a US requirement and the airline requirement just ended. 
 

Hopefully you will never need to go through this, but just know that the results aren’t instant. Had we been at the pool, we would have never heard the page. And no, they don’t send people out to look for you. They paged people all day - same names over and over. They are just checking the box and moving on….

Thank you for posting. We are going in July and I was wondering what would happen. I would’ve reacted just like you did. 
 

People need to use common sense and if someone is worried about  COVID, then a cruise is the last place to be. My whole family had Covid at Christmas time and we all had minor cold like symptoms. People need to start treating this like any other virus. 
 

I also don’t understand wanting to know who is vaccinated…even the vaccinated can get COVID and spread it. 

[kitkat343]

Could you please explain a little more about how you have the right to refuse a covid test if the ship asks you to take it?  I hadn't heard this before and would like to be able to research it further before I take my next cruise.  

[topnole]

27 minutes ago, Quirky Cruiser said:

I'm on vacation, so we don't connect to Wi-fi. I don't walk around with my phone and I'm certainly not checking my email. They never even told us we could get results that way. Why would I even think he would be positive? He was running around, playing, not even a sniffle. I didn't have the slightest concern. Even when we went to medical, they asked us why we were there! Told us we needed an appointment later in the day. The whole thing was comical. There was no packing for them. I brought things back and forth to them in the red zone, while also talking to other parents standing outside rooms in the red zone. My husband said somebody donned a hazmat suit to bring them down to their room, but then after that, the people in the hallways were all just regular employees with just a face mask. No hazmat suits, no face shields. No biohazard bags everywhere. They would have been better off in our own cabin. By the time we take our next 7-day cruise, this testing will be long gone. 

My kids had Covid (not on a cruise) several months back and were also almost entirely asymptomatic.  We only tested them because my wife was sick and tested positive.  Seems to be pretty common among healthy kids.  My wife and I were the only ones who had any symptoms and we were the only ones vaccinated.  
 

As far as the ship’s red zone, was this the general red zone or just for kids.  Seems crazy that they had non-quarantining parents in the hall visiting or bringing stuff.  That does makes zero sense.  Why are they quarantining if they allow others to visit.  If you are worried about spread, that does make zero sense.  
 

 

[Quirky Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, kitkat343 said:

Could you please explain a little more about how you have the right to refuse a covid test if the ship asks you to take it?  I hadn't heard this before and would like to be able to research it further before I take my next cruise.  

I told them I am vaccinated. She made a phone call and said that I no longer needed to be tested. We obviously tested prior to getting onboard and were negative. My husband was down in the red zone and they asked him to test and he told them he was vaccinated and she walked away. It was not confrontational at all. The only people they are required to test are unvaccinated children. 

 

8 minutes ago, hollionthebeach said:

Thank you for posting. We are going in July and I was wondering what would happen. I would’ve reacted just like you did. 
 

People need to use common sense and if someone is worried about  COVID, then a cruise is the last place to be. My whole family had Covid at Christmas time and we all had minor cold like symptoms. People need to start treating this like any other virus. 
 

I also don’t understand wanting to know who is vaccinated…even the vaccinated can get COVID and spread it. 

I agree 1000%. If a person is even remotely nervous about catching Covid, going on vacation in general, whether it be on a cruise, to Disney, to the Grand Canyon (neighbors just came home from there with Covid), or some other place, is probably not the best thing you can do right now. We had Covid in 2020 and we have all had Covid in 2022. It is what it is. We have to learn to live with it. Like the Flu, Norovirus, etc. We lived with all of them before! 

[kitkat343]

Just now, Quirky Cruiser said:

I told them I am vaccinated. She made a phone call and said that I no longer needed to be tested. We obviously tested prior to getting onboard and were negative. My husband was down in the red zone and they asked him to test and he told them he was vaccinated and she walked away. It was not confrontational at all. The only people they are required to test are unvaccinated children. 

 

I agree 1000%. If a person is even remotely nervous about catching Covid, going on vacation in general, whether it be on a cruise, to Disney, to the Grand Canyon (neighbors just came home from there with Covid), or some other place, is probably not the best thing you can do right now. We had Covid in 2020 and we have all had Covid in 2022. It is what it is. We have to learn to live with it. Like the Flu, Norovirus, etc. We lived with all of them before! 

Thanks.  My whole family had covid prior to vaccines being available, and we experienced minor cold symptoms.  But the thought of being quarantined with my 3, 7 and 11 year old children is pretty terrifying!  I'm hoping the 3 year old will be able to be vaccinated in time for our cruise in August.  

[Quirky Cruiser]

4 minutes ago, topnole said:

My kids had Covid (not on a cruise) several months back and were also almost entirely asymptomatic.  We only tested them because my wife was sick and tested positive.  Seems to be pretty common among healthy kids.  My wife and I were the only ones who had any symptoms and we were the only ones vaccinated.  
 

As far as the ship’s red zone, was this the general red zone or just for kids.  Seems crazy that they had non-quarantining parents in the hall visiting or bringing stuff.  That does makes zero sense.  Why are they quarantining if they allow others to visit.  If you are worried about spread, that does make zero sense.  
 

 

I think people have this misconception that the red zone has security or something. They are regular staterooms behind a watertight door. There is a button that opens and closes that door. Medical told me to go up to my room and pack a few things for my son and husband and then my husband called and let me know what room he was in. I walked down, the stateroom attendants opened the door (several times) and I went back and forth. None of it makes sense and this is why they are probably moving away from this and moving back towards quarantining in your own room. Not one person asked myself or others why we were down there. Heck, the woman in the room next to my son with her son had been there for a few days and she even left and went back. My husband called the nurse with a question and never even heard back. Once you're back there, you're on your own. 

[topnole]

4 minutes ago, Quirky Cruiser said:

I think people have this misconception that the red zone has security or something. They are regular staterooms behind a watertight door. There is a button that opens and closes that door. Medical told me to go up to my room and pack a few things for my son and husband and then my husband called and let me know what room he was in. I walked down, the stateroom attendants opened the door (several times) and I went back and forth. None of it makes sense and this is why they are probably moving away from this and moving back towards quarantining in your own room. Not one person asked myself or others why we were down there. Heck, the woman in the room next to my son with her son had been there for a few days and she even left and went back. My husband called the nurse with a question and never even heard back. Once you're back there, you're on your own. 

The other women coming and going.  Geez.  Well that certainly can’t be good for containment (which is the purpose of quarantine).  

[Quirky Cruiser]

9 minutes ago, topnole said:

The other women coming and going.  Geez.  Well that certainly can’t be good for containment (which is the purpose of quarantine).  

I know that you think these are the only people on board that have Covid, but there had to be tons of others. I know two people who we met at one of the bars who said they were fighting head colds and had bad headaches. My kids were in adventure ocean with kids who were sick. We were surrounded everywhere we went by people coughing and sniffling. Elevators were full of people who were. Honestly, I don't even flinch when I hear it because the normal cold still exists. By putting people in quarantine, they have "checked the box". They can say that they followed the protocols set forth. But to think there are people down there monitoring those rooms or even checking in on them is a pipe dream. 

[topnole]

10 hours ago, Quirky Cruiser said:

I know that you think these are the only people on board that have Covid, but there had to be tons of others. I know two people who we met at one of the bars who said they were fighting head colds and had bad headaches. My kids were in adventure ocean with kids who were sick. We were surrounded everywhere we went by people coughing and sniffling. Elevators were full of people who were. Honestly, I don't even flinch when I hear it because the normal cold still exists. By putting people in quarantine, they have "checked the box". They can say that they followed the protocols set forth. But to think there are people down there monitoring those rooms or even checking in on them is a pipe dream. 

I know that you don’t know what I think because that isn’t what I think at all.  I’m well aware that Covid exists in folks beyond the quarantine area.  In fact we too had several interactions with guests and crew who ended up having Covid on our last cruise.   All the same, if you have a quarantine area where Covid positive guests are confined, it is ridiculous to have other passengers coming and going at their will.  

[Quirky Cruiser]

8 minutes ago, topnole said:

I know that you don’t know what I think because that isn’t what I think at all.  I’m well aware that Covid exists in folks beyond the quarantine area.  In fact we too had several interactions with guests and crew who ended up having Covid on our last cruise.   All the same, if you have a quarantine area where Covid positive guests are confined, it is ridiculous to have other passengers coming and going at their will.  

Exactly why the whole thing is laughable. Besides, any doctor will tell you that when you’re sick, the best thing to do is get fresh air and vitamin D. We had a balcony cabin and if my son was indeed sick, he should have been able to sit out there. But instead they put you on a room that offers  none of that. In the end my husband didn’t end up there with my son until almost 3pm (6 hours after testing) and we were off the ship by 7 the next morning. The family next to us on the dock got in a van and went to the airport - no questions asked. Again, they satisfied their protocols by checking the box. Once you are down there or off the ship, they look the other way. 

[topnole]

39 minutes ago, Quirky Cruiser said:

Exactly why the whole thing is laughable. Besides, any doctor will tell you that when you’re sick, the best thing to do is get fresh air and vitamin D. We had a balcony cabin and if my son was indeed sick, he should have been able to sit out there. But instead they put you on a room that offers  none of that. In the end my husband didn’t end up there with my son until almost 3pm (6 hours after testing) and we were off the ship by 7 the next morning. The family next to us on the dock got in a van and went to the airport - no questions asked. Again, they satisfied their protocols by checking the box. Once you are down there or off the ship, they look the other way. 

Respectfully, I’ve never heard a doctor say fresh air and vitamin D is the best thing when one is sick.  Vitamins don’t do much once your are sick.  They are preventative at best.  And only if you are vitamin deficient.  And fresh air?  Unless you are breathing uncirculated or contaminated air, I doubt it matters

one bit.  Sleep/rest and hydration is what I’ve heard most from doctors.   

[Itchy&Scratchy]

12 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

Could you please explain a little more about how you have the right to refuse a covid test if the ship asks you to take it?  I hadn't heard this before and would like to be able to research it further before I take my next cruise.  

like go full Karen on them? Surely, they'll leave you alone then.

[Quirky Cruiser]

1 minute ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

like go full Karen on them? Surely, they'll leave you alone then.

Thankfully we didn’t even need to do this, lol. Just said no, we are vaccinated. Made a phone call and then told us we are all set. Easy peasy! 

[Quirky Cruiser]

19 minutes ago, topnole said:

Respectfully, I’ve never heard a doctor say fresh air and vitamin D is the best thing when one is sick.  Vitamins don’t do much once your are sick.  They are preventative at best.  And only if you are vitamin deficient.  And fresh air?  Unless you are breathing uncirculated or contaminated air, I doubt it matters

one bit.  Sleep/rest and hydration is what I’ve heard most from doctors.   

Respectfully, we will agree to disagree. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

12 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

Thanks.  My whole family had covid prior to vaccines being available, and we experienced minor cold symptoms.  But the thought of being quarantined with my 3, 7 and 11 year old children is pretty terrifying!  I'm hoping the 3 year old will be able to be vaccinated in time for our cruise in August.  

my thought is - if most of you wear masks when you are inside, you may be lucky enough to test positive AFTER the cruise, like we did. We developed symptoms the day after disembarkation.  

 

I had severe dry cough which hurt my body... besides other flu-like symptoms and frequent diarrhea. Definitely wouldn't wish it upon anyone or say "we all had minor cold like symptoms. People need to start treating this like any other virus."  Because it really isn't like "any other virus". It's not "just a cold".