Being turned away at the port

[Cruising Engineer]

of the adults that are going - parents, both sets of grandparents - are fully vaccinated and have been for some time now. However, my son will be a few weeks shy of 1 year old at time of embarkation. Is there any indication so far of an age cut off for having to have a PCR test for the kids prior to boarding? Will I have to possible figure out how to get my infant tested?

DCL states all adults and children:

 

[Karin1984]

112 passengers were turned away for failure for pre-cruise. So the numbers were not nearly so bad as the people yowling about unfairness would have you think.

Hmm... I don't know, that is still 5-10% of the people, depending on how many guests are allowed with the capacity limits.

 

[Snowwhyt]

I would think Disney expected this problem. Wouldn’t this have happened on the test cruise? People misunderstood directions, just being human and all.

 

[squirk]

And that is something customer service deals with every day, whether it's DCL or WDW or your local Walmart or grocery store or gym, etc. What the business offers to any individual as "guest recovery" can and does vary from one to another, even if the same issue. I'm certain DCL knows how to deal with it.

Most certainly. I don't expect DCL to be flummoxed. Just commenting that the prospect of a refund and a free cruise (if true) might cause some people to overreach in terms of a resolution.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Yes, they currently require testing (or proof of vaccination which will at this time only apply to age 12 and up) for all guests, including infants.

 

[erionm]

I would think Disney expected this problem. Wouldn’t this have happened on the test cruise? People misunderstood directions, just being human and all.

The test cruise was Cast Members, so Disney would have had direct contact with all of them pre-cruise.

 

[Snowwhyt]

The test cruise was Cast Members, so Disney would have had direct contact with all of them pre-cruise.

Yes, I knew it was but still, people make mistakes and I have a hard time thinking the entire group not one person or more messed up on some instructions.

 

[maribeau]

Hmm... I don't know, that is still 5-10% of the people, depending on how many guests are allowed with the capacity limits.

It’s square in the middle at 7% from the info I have seen. According to someone who got numbers from a Disney Exec who is onboard, there were 1600 schedule to sail and 1488 sailed. Some of those who didn’t sail were related to the testing issue, and some were flight issues and/or last minute cancellations.

 

[maribeau]

Yes, I knew it was but still, people make mistakes and I have a hard time thinking the entire group not one person or more messed up on some instructions.

Were the test cruises all 18+ and fully vaccinated? I know that another line’s test cruises are, but don’t recall seeing Disney’s test cruise passenger requirement details.

 

[jrapps]

Yes, I knew it was but still, people make mistakes and I have a hard time thinking the entire group not one person or more messed up on some instructions.

The firsthand reports on other sites indicate that the majority of issues were vaccinated parents with unvaccinated kids under 12. Since test cruises are 18+, I can easily see how this scenario was not tested.

I would think Disney expected this problem. Wouldn’t this have happened on the test cruise? People misunderstood directions, just being human and all.

I am sure they expected it to some degree. Seems that more people ended up with this issue than even they predicted.

 

[Weedy]

Once again
If you are planning to get tested once you get to Orlando be sure to make an appointment. CVS allows you to book 2 weeks in advance.
Right now most CVS’s are booked 5 days in advance

 

[JWelch62]

Once again
If you are planning to get tested once you get to Orlando be sure to make an appointment. CVS allows you to book 2 weeks in advance.
Right now most CVS’s are booked 5 days in advance
View attachment 596721

I was just looking at my local CVS schedule.

If you did the test in Orlando wouldn't you be cutting it close? Or is this for Rapid PCR?

 

[jrapps]

So I just sent an email to Inspire but figured I'd ask here too.. Does anyone know if we have a child who does a PCR test 5 days before sailing and that test does NOT come back 48hrs before sailing but it does come back before arriving at the port, will they accept it or deny boarding?

Our last PCR test came back in 24hrs but I'm seriously thinking about doing their mail in test to avoid the stress.

 

[Alan1972]

Shore Side Concierge called me about our up coming cruise. I was informed that my fishing trip was canceled at the request of the vendor. They wanted to know if I wanted to schedule something else. While I had them on the phone, I asked them to check and make sure I had everything needed so as not to be turned away at the port. A quick check and all was good. I was told the reason most people were turned away was due to not having the PCR test before arriving at the port. So please before you leave home, call and check to ensure you have completed all the steps. Here in South Carolina, the rapid PCR tests are still free and I have seen several places where you wait for your results. Let's have this first cruise be our learning cruise and move forward from there.

there is no such a thing as a "rapid PCR test"
there are rapid tests, and there are PCR tests. you need the PCR.
If you're waiting there to get your results same day it's a rapid test and not the one you need.

 

[Karin1984]

there is no such a thing as a "rapid PCR test"
there are rapid tests, and there are PCR tests. you need the PCR.
If you're waiting there to get your results same day it's a rapid test and not the one you need.

There rapid PCR tests, they are only much more expensive.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I asked that same question and Shore Side told me that since I uploaded proof of vaccine, I did not have to take a pre port PCR or a port PCR test.

This could be subject to change so it’s best to keep double checking as your sail date nears.

 

[Sykes]

there is no such a thing as a "rapid PCR test"
there are rapid tests, and there are PCR tests. you need the PCR.
If you're waiting there to get your results same day it's a rapid test and not the one you need.

There are lots of places that now offer PCR tests with turn-around times of less than an hour, including the testing clinic at the Orlando Airport.

 

[jrapps]

There are lots of places that now offer PCR tests with turn-around times of less than an hour, including the testing clinic at the Orlando Airport.

Yes, but you'll pay "through the nose" for them.

 

[Weedy]

If you did the test in Orlando wouldn't you be cutting it close? Or is this for Rapid PCR?

Some people vacation in Orlando for a few days prior to their cruise.

 

[erionm]

If you did the test in Orlando wouldn't you be cutting it close? Or is this for Rapid PCR?

The RT-PCR test available at MCO returns results in approx. 20 minutes per the airport website.