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What happens if you test positive for covid on cruise?


Beachgirl

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Hello!

I have a question I was hoping someone could help me with. 
We are booked for a 7 night cruise on RCL in July 2022, following which we are going to Disney. 
We are all double vaxxed. What happens though if one of us tests positive on the cruise? Will we be required to quarantine for 14 days and also prohibited from going to Disney even if asymptomatic? We are from Canada. 
Thanks in advance for any help!

 

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The only way you would be tested on the cruise if you are fully vaccinated would be to report as symptomatic and the medical center would test you or potentially a contract tracing situation where they feel you were exposed to a known positive case.

The current policy of how they handle it expires December 31 so there's no way to know what the policy will be in summer of 2022. Current policy from what has been reported from North America sailing is they will get you home or cover your hotel to quarantine until you can fly home commercially. 

The United States doesn't enforce self-quarantine orders and Disney only asks that you don't go if you are under one but there's really no way to tell. It would be pretty irresponsible to still go to the parks after testing positive before the CDC's recommended 10 days of isolation for asymptomatic positive cases. 

You also have to test to get back into Canada so if the cruise line is still doing the private flights home it might best take advantage of that because you run the risk of testing positive again when you're taking your return home test.

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53 minutes ago, Beachgirl said:

i am thinking of moving cruise though as I think chances of an outbreak (even a small one) are decent. 

Moving the cruise because you aren't comfortable and can't be flexible with a potential extended quarantine might be a good idea.

However the cruise lines have had positive cases since starting back up again.  None of them have been considered an outbreak. The protocols are proving to work well in limiting the spread. 

When you consider the testing and vaccination requirements for boarding you are going to have little risk of potential exposure from the cruise, similar to the same risk of exposure on a direct flight from Canada where all passengers will be tested to enter the US. However if you have a layover in the US and change planes, tests aren't required for flights between the states and that would be more exposure risk than on the cruise IMO.

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I beleive that there will be many good deals coming up on Royal Caribbean as all these restrictions being put in place will cause many people to cancel their cruise. Several of my friends have already cancelled due to finding it impossible to schedual a last minute Covid test even though they are fully vaccinated! Having a negative test taken three days prior to cruising, is no indication that you are Covid free upon boarding. The extra stress and expense involved overrides the anticipation of having a great time aboard.   I am very happy with having all passengers vaccinated, but if Royal insists on last minute Covid testing, they should provide the tests, at their cost upon boarding! That’s just my take on this situation!

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5 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

Moving the cruise because you aren't comfortable and can't be flexible with a potential extended quarantine might be a good idea.

However the cruise lines have had positive cases since starting back up again.  None of them have been considered an outbreak. The protocols are proving to work well in limiting the spread. 

When you consider the testing and vaccination requirements for boarding you are going to have little risk of potential exposure from the cruise, similar to the same risk of exposure on a direct flight from Canada where all passengers will be tested to enter the US. However if you have a layover in the US and change planes, tests aren't required for flights between the states and that would be more exposure risk than on the cruise IMO.

Ashley-

Respectfully- do you work for RCL? As this sounds like a lawyer or marketing person talking.  
The exposure risk of a non-stop flight from Canada is negligible. Generally speaking, airlines just haven’t seen Covid numbers.
 I have definitely read several news articles detailing outbreaks on several cruise ships. The difference between a flight and a cruise is that on a flight, you are required to wear a mask and many Canadians are much more cautious about Covid than our southern neighbors. On a cruise ship, many people will be in a tight space with little or no distancing in many situations where masks will not be worn such as pools and indoor restaurants. 

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5 minutes ago, Beachgirl said:

Respectfully- do you work for RCL? As this sounds like a lawyer or marketing person talking.

Nope. I am just very much of the mindset that cruising is currently a very safe way to vacation.  I have also actually been on a cruise recently so I have experienced the current cruising environment. I would feel just as comfortable sailing with Royal again as I would visiting Disney, with the added benefit that the cruiselines at least require vaccination/testing. I enjoyed the lower capacity that allowed for spacing on the cruise ship where I had plenty of open space indoors and out to not be in a crowd with people. That isn't an option on a packed airplane. 

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2 hours ago, Beachgirl said:

 Generally speaking, airlines just haven’t seen Covid numbers.

The airlines haven't seen COVID numbers because you're on a plane for the duration of the flight and then leave. There's absolutely no way to contact trace anyone who gets COVID on a flight and prove it was the direct result of the flight and not contracted in the airport on either end, on a shuttle to/from the airport, before the flight, somewhere at your destination, etc. 

2 hours ago, Beachgirl said:

 I have definitely read several news articles detailing outbreaks on several cruise ships.

I'd love links, as I have yet to see *any* true "outbreaks" as defined by the CDC since the Diamond Princess fiasco at the start of all this almost two years ago. There have been cases, sure, but nothing reaching outbreak levels.

 

2 hours ago, Beachgirl said:

On a cruise ship, many people will be in a tight space with little or no distancing in many situations where masks will not be worn such as pools and indoor restaurants. 

Indoor restaurants had so many tables blocked off that you were never directly next to another dining party. And sure, no one's wearing a mask at the pool, but outdoor transmission isn't typically a major concern anyways.

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If only one of you test positive but the rest are negative, then the positive person should quarantine and the rest of you with negative test can enjoy. I do mean negative and not just asymptomatic as you can still spread the virus and that would be a-hole thing to do.

Also outbreak is a stretch, there hasn't been an outbreak at any point since the restart. The new 2 day testing protocols have pretty much neutralized cases on board.  You can't say with certainty that a masked flight has zero risk of transmission as, everyone may not be vaxxed or wear their mask properly the entire time. IMHO cruising is much safer in regards to transmission than flying. I also believe if you follow the protocols then you have a minimal chance of catching the virus, especially being double vaxxed.

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19 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

Moving the cruise because you aren't comfortable and can't be flexible with a potential extended quarantine might be a good idea.

However the cruise lines have had positive cases since starting back up again.  None of them have been considered an outbreak. The protocols are proving to work well in limiting the spread.

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2021/09/articles/disease/passenger-dies-after-super-spreader-covid-19-cruise-on-msc-virtuosa/

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2021/08/23/travel/cruise-covid-death.amp.html

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/08/28/is-it-safe-to-go-on-a-cruise-during-covid-pandemic-2021-restrictions.html

 

 

 

19 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

 

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1 hour ago, Beachgirl said:

This site appears to have it out from cruise lines. Even if there's some truth to the article, the numbers have been clearly inflated. Also, different line, different country, different protocols.

1 hour ago, Beachgirl said:

Both referencing the same "outbreak" on the Carnival ship. Again, different line and different protocols. Right after that was when lines started requiring negative tests to board, which has given an added layer of protection.

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Re the links:  Carnival has been sailing at 70%+ capacity.  They and MSC are both known to be stretching it when it comes to safety protocols for Covid.  Both should be expected to have more cases.  They aren't representative of the entire industry.  Even with that, the percentage of people sick on those ships is miniscule compared to the number who were sailing.  Carnival had 3000 passengers and 1400 crew aboard, and 26 people infected is less than 1%.    And the last article is a click-bait opinion piece.  Doesn't really provide anything.  And this is not to minimize death from Covid.  My family has had its share of Covid tragedy.  This is to put the situation into perspective.

I feel safer taking an RCI cruise than I do flying, shoulder to shoulder, on a plane right now, because RCI has been jumping through all the ridiculous CDC hoops.  I'm quite impressed with some of the measures they have taken.

Some of us are ready to cruise, some of us aren't.  Both decisions are valid.  One doesn't have to be right and one wrong.  We each get to make the choice for ourselves.  🙂

That said, I am not even thinking about our May 2022 cruise in relation to what the protocols will be, because they could be completely different by then.  

Hope you get to take/enjoy your trip.

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On 9/28/2021 at 8:58 PM, Ampurp85 said:

If You can't say with certainty that a masked flight has zero risk of transmission as, everyone may not be vaxxed or wear their mask properly the entire time. IMHO cruising is much safer in regards to transmission than flying. I also believe if you follow the protocols then you have a minimal chance of catching the virus, especially being double vaxxed.

THIS!!! I flew on a two hour flight last month.  People take off their masks to drink, to eat, etc. on the plane.   But instead of being 6 feet away like on a distanced cruise ship they are right at your SHOULDER maybe 4 inches away.

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