Will DCL move to testing at home instead of at port?

[emilymad]

We would love to get back to sailing on DCL but the testing at port seems like a major hassle. Most other cruise lines require you to test at home which seems better. If you have a positive test at least you haven't traveled yet. Is there any talk about this changing? I am not arguing for no tests, just the timing.

Do you test at home anyway to limit the changes of a positive test at the port? I am just envisioning us standing at the port with a surprise positive test and no where to go.

 

[lorenni]

This is a great point - imagine the logistics of testing positive for the first time at the port. You can’t fly home!

Hopefully if the other cruise lines are doing this DCL will follow suit.

 

[MsSimone]

Do you test at home anyway to limit the changes of a positive test at the port? I am just envisioning us standing at the port with a surprise positive test and no where to go.

That's my family's plan -- we will buy drugstore at-home tests to take before we get on the plane, just to comfort ourselves.

 

[lanejudy]

Most other cruise lines require you to test at home which seems better.

Hopefully if the other cruise lines are doing this DCL will follow suit.

Aren't the other cruise lines essentially limited to vaccinated passengers, with very very few unvaccinated? Once children can be vaccinated, DCL may change their game plan; however I don't expect that until the young ones can be vaccinated because children make up such a considerable portion of DCL's market.

 

[ryanpatricksmom]

I would absolutely advise buying the unproctored at home tests prior to leaving. I want to say they're about $13 a piece at Sam's. As far as testing at the port vs. at home, Carnival currently puts the onus on the passenger and it's a huge hassle when you have to show a negative result 2 days prior to sailing....especially if you have a Monday departure, need a couple of days to travel to the port, or in my case a second cruise on a different cruise line requiring me to get a test the morning of my arrival/departure. Given a choice, I am much happier with the testing offered at the cruise port.

 

[mrp4352]

Having cruised both ways in the last couple of months, my preference is at port testing. To me and my family, that was much less stressful than worrying about finding the correct affordable test that will provide results in the correct timeframe for the cruise.

 

[laceltris3]

.

 

[emilymad]

I am dealing with having to get tested within 2 days for RCCL (assuming they have the same policies in March), and it's kind of a pain, tbh. I would prefer a well organized rapid test option at the port.

But for both cruises we are sailing out of a port that is an hour's drive from our home, so it's not *that* big a deal if we have to go home.

I think this is the biggest difference. If you are driving to the port I can see testing at the port being preferred. If you are flying, you are stuck at the port with no where to go.

RCCL isn't requiring vaccinations and they are doing the testing at home.

 

[tvguy]

Not sure DCL has a say. It is what the ports they are going to require on testing.

 

[emilymad]

Will DCL help you find a way off the port if you test positive? If we are dropped off by taxi or something then what are we supposed to do?

 

[Kwami]

I understand the worry about testing positive at the port and then being stranded there. I had that same worry when I went cruising with DCL in September. I bought some at-home antigen tests and used them three days before the cruise and then one day before the cruise, just before I went to the airport. That helped to relieve the stress somewhat.

But, finding my own test that can get results 1-2 days before the cruise when I already have to fly down the day before departure would be even more stressful. That's extra true for folks that don't live near major cities or major airports and who have fewer rapid testing sites available to them. Also, it would be more costly. The at-home tests were something like $24 for two, so I paid about $50 in total for the two of us to each take two tests. Rapid PCR tests for travel are something like $120 each.

If DCL does move to testing before arrival, then I hope that they would out something with Inspire/SafePassage so that we can get the kits in the mail and then mail them back and not have to worry about finding our own testing sites. And I hope that they at least subsidize the cost somewhat, if they won't pay for it outright.

Anyway, testing at the port is already imperfect and won't pick up recent infections. Testing even further out is even less accurate.

 

[emilymad]

Not sure DCL has a say. It is what the ports they are going to require on testing.

I am not arguing testing but when the testing happens. We are also looking at RCCL, Celebrity, etc and they all have 2 day before sailing testing requirements.

 

[laceltris3]

I think this is the biggest difference. If you are driving to the port I can see testing at the port being preferred. If you are flying, you are stuck at the port with no where to go.

RCCL isn't requiring vaccinations and they are doing the testing at home.

Vaccinations are required for 12 and up, at least for ports outside of Florida. We are sailing from Galveston, and vaccinations are required for those eligible, and testing at home.

 

[Kwami]

Will DCL help you find a way off the port if you test positive? If we are dropped off by taxi or something then what are we supposed to do?

If you ask them, they'll tell you that they handle this problem on a case by case basis. Fortunately, I haven't been in this situation. But, from reading a few scattered reports, it seems like they'll offer you a ride to the airport or to a hotel where you can quarantine. You're on your own for the hotel costs and such, though. Best to have some kind of travel insurance that covers quarantines if you'd worried about that.

 

[lanejudy]

Will DCL help you find a way off the port if you test positive? If we are dropped off by taxi or something then what are we supposed to do?

My understanding is that DCL is bussing people back to Orlando. I believe that is MCO, and then from there guests can make other arrangements. I'm not sure exactly how that is happening, though. I recommend having travel insurance.

 

[tvguy]

I am not arguing testing but when the testing happens. We are also looking at RCCL, Celebrity, etc and they all have 2 day before sailing testing requirements.

I understand. One of the travel vloggers I follow is on the war path about the inconsistency of testing requirements in regard to both when and where the test happens, but what type is required and that it keeps changing. This vloggers situation is complicated by the face that he is Canadian and he has to have a test on the day he flies home. He is just off a Princess cruise.

 

[RedHead0186]

Aren't the other cruise lines essentially limited to vaccinated passengers, with very very few unvaccinated? Once children can be vaccinated, DCL may change their game plan; however I don't expect that until the young ones can be vaccinated because children make up such a considerable portion of DCL's market.

I'm cruising on Princess in a couple of weeks and that logic would seem to apply. It's a fully vaccinated cruise and we do not have to test at pot, we have to have proof of a negative test (either done at a testing center/clinic/etc. or at home with a telehealth appointment) within 2 days prior to sailing.

 

[RedHead0186]

If DCL does move to testing before arrival, then I hope that they would out something with Inspire/SafePassage so that we can get the kits in the mail and then mail them back and not have to worry about finding our own testing sites. And I hope that they at least subsidize the cost somewhat, if they won't pay for it outright.

Princess is doing something similar with BinaxNow, if you go on Princess' website they have a link where you can purchase the ones that have a telehealth component. The link takes you to a questionnarie where you have to state you're either cruising or traveling in/out of the country, so clearly they're not mean to be available for everyone. But it was nice having a link right to what I needed and what would count for me to be able to cruise so I didn't have to run around trying to figure it out.

 

[ryanpatricksmom]

The link is provided on the Carnival Cruise website as well. The problem is, the tests that they are selling right now have expiration dates in the beginning of December. Nobody knows for sure when they will be replaced, and I cruise next in Mid-January.

I think it depends on which state that you live in as to what your preference may be. In SC we have to pay for testing if it's for travel, it's also not the easiest thing to get a same day rapid test unless you're near a bigger city. Fortunately I'm close to Savannah, so I can get one at $65 per person; though when I cruise on NCL or DCL it's paid for by the cruise line. I've also heard many stories of people who were worried about getting their results in time after using a CVS or Walgreens. Try getting on airplane before getting that e-mail, LOL!

I have a weird scenario next September where I will be doing DCL B2B and then hopping on to the Carnival Mardi Gras. I'm sure that I'll be sweating bullets trying to navigate that one. I'm hoping that I can pay for a suitable test onboard my DCL cruise.

What I think would be optimal is if each cruise line offered the option to present a negative test, and also allowed for people to test at the port if they prefer.

 

[Sykes]

I am dealing with having to get tested within 2 days for RCCL (assuming they have the same policies in March), and it's kind of a pain, tbh. I would prefer a well organized rapid test option at the port.

I'm just curious why you find it to be a pain. The eMed BinaxNow tests are $150 for a 6-pack and you can do it at home (or at your hotel) with a 15 minute result. I've used them several times now and really appreciate feeling confident I'll be able to board before I even leave home. I personally find that to be quite a bit less stressful than Disney requiring a PCR test for kids under the age of 12, which can be a lot more difficult to time properly and is often more expensive.