Am I reading this right? Pre-testing change?

[CaptainAmerica]

I don't know where you are, but where I am (Texas, USA) the cost of a test is free. I can go to any number of testing sites right now (Curative, CVS, Walgreens, etc) and get a PCR test for no charge - with or without insurance.

With all the hurdles and system weirdness before getting on the ship, I wouldn't trust any testing partner besides the official one offered through Safe Passage.

 

[bakerworld]

We rebooked our March cruise for next March. Our reason had very little to do with COVID but we're hoping the testing and masking will be gone.

 

[dreynolds1982]

But there's no guarantee of return time which is critical when you have less than 3 days for a cruise. I think in most cases you should be fine, especially with testing numbers dropping so much now, but if you want to get it guaranteed within a day or so, it's going to cost.

IF DCL were to make this change (which right now it doesn't appear to be imminent, though I am keeping my fingers crossed) I would suspect they would follow suit with many of the other cruise lines and allow more flexibility with the type of test as well. For example, Carnival accepts Rapid Antigen as well as NAAT (e.g. lab PCR, rapid PCR, IDNOW, etc). I've been doing lots of testing as we head towards our cruise later this month (wanna know if I get it so I can still get that 90-day exemption!) and the rapid antigens and rapid NAAT (IDNOW) tests have been SUPER easy to get at basically any walgreens I can find. Free as well, and results are back to you within the hour. I did do a lab PCR test and even got those results back in less than 48 hrs (they say 48-72).

As you said with case numbers way way down, testing is not only VERY available but also seems to be running pretty smoothly and efficiently.

Oh and also Carnival has added that if you're "up to date" on your vaccines (which means you've received all the vaccines you're eligible for, including a booster) then you can test as far as 3 days out. Others have to do 2 days.

 

[HeatherLassell]

In Manitoba, Canada I can get a rapid antigen test for $20 at Walmart. (Which we need to fly to USA anyways) But, there is NO such thing as a free pcr test here. 2 companies were doing them last time I looked for travel purposes and they were $200+ per person. The tests Manitoba health does aren't useable for travel I've been told as they're missing information that they want for travel.

 

[HeatherLassell]

IF DCL were to make this change (which right now it doesn't appear to be imminent, though I am keeping my fingers crossed) I would suspect they would follow suit with many of the other cruise lines and allow more flexibility with the type of test as well. For example, Carnival accepts Rapid Antigen as well as NAAT (e.g. lab PCR, rapid PCR, IDNOW, etc). I've been doing lots of testing as we head towards our cruise later this month (wanna know if I get it so I can still get that 90-day exemption!) and the rapid antigens and rapid NAAT (IDNOW) tests have been SUPER easy to get at basically any walgreens I can find. Free as well, and results are back to you within the hour. I did do a lab PCR test and even got those results back in less than 48 hrs (they say 48-72).

As you said with case numbers way way down, testing is not only VERY available but also seems to be running pretty smoothly and efficiently.

Oh and also Carnival has added that if you're "up to date" on your vaccines (which means you've received all the vaccines you're eligible for, including a booster) then you can test as far as 3 days out. Others have to do 2 days.

That's my hope too. If I have to get tested myself then PCR is not the way I want them to go as that's expensive here. If they did Rapid Antigen I'd be ok with that as I have to get that test to fly to the US. So here's hoping. I'd love to see testing at the port going away just not if it's going to end up costing me hundreds.

 

[mjr0483]

First of all, regardless of what illness you have, if it's bad enough and a risk to the others, you will end up getting quarantined. That's pre and post COVID. And this is where most folks lose the plot.

Flu and omicron are two very different viruses. But I am not referring to their transmissibility, available treatments, or health outcomes.

I am referring to their how they are judged on board.

When was the last time a ship experienced a flu outbreak and 100s of guests were thrown into quarantine? When? Instead, you catch flu, isolate for a bit, recover with a Tylenol, and get on with the rest of your vacation. Short of being truly sick obviously.

With COVID, not really. Even if you are asymptomatic, you will end up in a brig. If you are contact traced to someone else who was exposed, you will end up in a brig. If you share a bus with an infected party, you will end up in a brig.

So, really, you are pushing for relaxing all the wrong rules. The rule they truly need to relax is how COVID exposure is handled on board. That you aren't sent to quarantine on board no matter what. THAT rule has to go.

By your logic you should have a negative test to go to WDW.

 

[Intr3pid]

By your logic you should have a negative test to go to WDW.

Didn't know they were quarantining you at WDW.

 

[ewoodall79]

IF DCL were to make this change (which right now it doesn't appear to be imminent, though I am keeping my fingers crossed) I would suspect they would follow suit with many of the other cruise lines and allow more flexibility with the type of test as well. For example, Carnival accepts Rapid Antigen as well as NAAT (e.g. lab PCR, rapid PCR, IDNOW, etc). I've been doing lots of testing as we head towards our cruise later this month (wanna know if I get it so I can still get that 90-day exemption!) and the rapid antigens and rapid NAAT (IDNOW) tests have been SUPER easy to get at basically any walgreens I can find. Free as well, and results are back to you within the hour. I did do a lab PCR test and even got those results back in less than 48 hrs (they say 48-72).

We are testing at Walgreens prior to sailing (have a 4-year old). Their rapid NAAT is what Disney calls out as a test they accept, right? I'm thinking about scheduling both the NAAT and the lab PCR as well, just to cover my bases!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We are testing at Walgreens prior to sailing (have a 4-year old). Their rapid NAAT is what Disney calls out as a test they accept, right? I'm thinking about scheduling both the NAAT and the lab PCR as well, just to cover my bases!

Depends on what link you choose.

This one says NAAT or PCR.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/why-cruise-disney/experience-updates/us/
This one only says PCR for normal testing. The only mention of NAAT is for the 90 day recovered.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/why-cruise-disney/experience-updates/before-you-leave-home-us/

 

[ewoodall79]

Depends on what link you choose.

This one says NAAT or PCR.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/why-cruise-disney/experience-updates/us/
This one only says PCR for normal testing. The only mention of NAAT is for the 90 day recovered.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/why-cruise-disney/experience-updates/before-you-leave-home-us/

So much consistency out there!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

So much consistency out there!

That's why we decided it was worth the hundred bucks to just do the Inspire Diagnostics one that they 100% officially endorsed.

 

[ewoodall79]

That's why we decided it was worth the hundred bucks to just do the Inspire Diagnostics one that they 100% officially endorsed.

And there was no issue with the results coming back in time? We cruise on a Monday, so have to test no earlier than Friday. Tests are overnighted - so Saturday arrival. I'm just worried that we won't get the results back in time.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

And there was no issue with the results coming back in time? We cruise on a Monday, so have to test no earlier than Friday. Tests are overnighted - so Saturday arrival. I'm just worried that we won't get the results back in time.

Yeah we had the same... Monday cruise, test on Friday. The shipping label they send you is UPS Next Day AM service, so it was delivered to the lab early Saturday.

I just checked my email history and the results were in my Safe Passage account by Saturday at 7:15 PM.

 

[dreynolds1982]

And there was no issue with the results coming back in time? We cruise on a Monday, so have to test no earlier than Friday. Tests are overnighted - so Saturday arrival. I'm just worried that we won't get the results back in time.

FWIW I just did a lab PCR test from Walgreens (which would definitely be accepted by Disney) and even though they say 48-72 hrs, I got my results back in about 30 hrs or so (the day after I took the test, just later in the day). The amt of people testing is WAY down (since cases are way down) so test results seem to be coming back way faster than just a few weeks ago.

 

[tj48103]

We are testing at Walgreens prior to sailing (have a 4-year old). Their rapid NAAT is what Disney calls out as a test they accept, right? I'm thinking about scheduling both the NAAT and the lab PCR as well, just to cover my bases!

The NAAT test at Walgreens that Disney accepts is called IDNOW. We did this for our cruise, it was so easy and the results came back in an hour. We tested on Friday for our Monday cruise. You can make the appointment on the Walgreens website a week before.

 

[jujubiee4]

That's why we decided it was worth the hundred bucks to just do the Inspire Diagnostics one that they 100% officially endorsed.

Was this 100 dollars per person? Or was that the total for the family?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Was this 100 dollars per person? Or was that the total for the family?

Per person, but only unvaccinated under 5s need to do it.

 

[cedricandsophie]

It’s pretty clear reading to me that unvaccinated must get a test up to 3 days before and get tested at port. Vaccinated only need to be tested at port. But everyone is tested at port. We are going on transatlantic in may. I assume there will still be testing at port. And then again in Barcelona before we can board plane home.

 

[lucas]

Yeah we had the same... Monday cruise, test on Friday. The shipping label they send you is UPS Next Day AM service, so it was delivered to the lab early Saturday.

I just checked my email history and the results were in my Safe Passage account by Saturday at 7:15 PM.

I am confused. We are 2 adults also sailing on a Monday, planning on getting tested at Walgreens. Wouldn't testing on Friday be too soon? The DCL site says: "no more than 2 days before setting sail." So, wouldn't that make it getting tested on Saturday??

I don't want to mess this up! Thanks in advance.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I am confused. We are 2 adults also sailing on a Monday, planning on getting tested at Walgreens. Wouldn't testing on Friday be too soon? The DCL site says: "no more than 2 days before setting sail." So, wouldn't that make it getting tested on Saturday??

I don't want to mess this up! Thanks in advance.

This was in reference to unvaccinated under-5s.

You're correct, the new policy for testing vaccinated over-5s is 2 days, not 3.