Backup Plan if Denied Boarding?

[mzspaz]

*Let me make this clear, we would only look at alternatives if we felt fine AND had a negative Covid test*

We are a few weeks out from our 7 night Fantasy cruise so I am in high gear planning mode. I like to imagine all the possibilities and have a plan of action in place for any outcome. So the pre-board testing is now something that I have set my sights on. While I am hoping for smooth sailing (pun intended), I want to be prepared for a bad outcome. So I am looking into some options if we happen to be denied boarding.

I've thought about renting a car and driving down to the Keys. Or maybe to a resort on the Gulf Coast. Then we could s l o w l y make our way back to Pennsylvania and maybe make some stops at key places along the way. Whatever we do, I just want something in place so that I can continue to look forward to this trip and not just worry about the testing outcome (that's the pessimist in me). You see, we booked this trip a while ago and it was/is a reward to me for getting through and continuing my treatment for leukemia. So it's kind of important to my mental health at this point as this is what I focus on every night when I take the damn chemo pill.

So does anyone else have a backup plan in place?

Anyone have some suggestions? The parks are out as I don't care to deal with large crowds or marathon walking/standing. I want/need something where I can kick back, relax, and clear my head. At the same time, some activities for my teenage son and my husband (who thinks he is the same age as my teenage son) would be good.

Thanks!

 

[Kwami]

I guess I don't follow. If you have a negative test, then you won't be denied boarding. If you don't have a negative test, then you should probably quarantine for 10 days. Right?

 

[mzspaz]

I guess I don't follow. If you have a negative test, then you won't be denied boarding. If you don't have a negative test, then you should probably quarantine for 10 days. Right?

I'm referring to if we get a positive result at the testing center at the terminal and are denied boarding with that result, but then follow it up with another independent test and are cleared after the ship has sailed....both literally and figuratively.

Sorry, I should have explained that better. Sometimes the chemo brain fog gets in the way of getting my thoughts out.

 

[Rob1872]

I thought about creating a plan B last week, but couldn't bring myself to consider the possibility. I didn't even investigate if DIsney was going to refund your cruise purchase or say that since they won't have an opportunity to re-sell your cabin that you forfeit your money. (I could see an argument for both ways.)

 

[TreeFalls]

My family is sharing staterooms with other family that won't be close contacts (arriving from different homes using different vehicles). So if one of them tests positive, my read is that none of us can board (and vice versa). If one of them tests positive and we don't test positive, it'll be an impromptu trip to Universal (we have APs so will just need to find a hotel). If one of us is positive, it's in the car for the long drive home.

And you do get a refund... "Guests who are denied boarding will receive a Denied Boarding Voucher for the full amount of their sailing or a refund without Disney-imposed cancellation fees. "

 

[mzspaz]

I thought about creating a plan B last week, but couldn't bring myself to consider the possibility. I didn't even investigate if DIsney was going to refund your cruise purchase or say that since they won't have an opportunity to re-sell your cabin that you forfeit your money. (I could see an argument for both ways.)

Plan B....I like that! As much as I want to focus on the cruise and think positive, I want to be prepared in case it doesn't. With the way things have rolled in recent years, I have learned to have an alternate plan in place.

IF the test was positive....and a retest was positive....my Doctor would order me directly home or to the nearest hospital. So I don't need to make a plan for that. I need something in place for if we have a fluke and test positive before boarding, but retest and come up negative. I don't want to waste a week of PTO and excused school absence time without doing SOMETHING.

And I have heard all the naysayers that say it is extremely unlikely to get a false positive test....yeah....you are talking to the person that had a blown out knee turn into a leukemia diagnosis.....so given my luck I just want to be prepared LOL.

 

[joan4mickey]

I was just looking into options incase of a failed test. I found a hotel in Orlando..nice resort with big water park. We are 5 adults, 4 of us tripled vax'ed and a 5 year who will be two weeks double vax'ed by sailing. This is a late minute cruise for my husband's 60th birthday (actual birthday while cruising)..our other plans fell through.

 

[anneeb]

My family is sharing staterooms with other family that won't be close contacts (arriving from different homes using different vehicles). So if one of them tests positive, my read is that none of us can board (and vice versa). If one of them tests positive and we don't test positive, it'll be an impromptu trip to Universal (we have APs so will just need to find a hotel). If one of us is positive, it's in the car for the long drive home.

And you do get a refund... "Guests who are denied boarding will receive a Denied Boarding Voucher for the full amount of their sailing or a refund without Disney-imposed cancellation fees. "

Do you share the actual cabin or do you have separate linked cabins? We are meeting my brother's family on board and when I asked the shore side concierge CM they told us if 1 family tests positive the linked family will not be denied boarding as long as you have not been traveling together, arrive at the port together, or are in contact with eachother before the cruise. I'm not sure if that applies if you are all in 1 shared cabin.

 

[MomOTwins]

I do think false positives are possible with the rapid test they do at the port—have heard of that happening where a person went and got their own rapid pcr immediately after being denied boarding and it came out negative.

I was thinking I would look for an airbnb with a pool or near the beach. Rent a car, isolate there for the cruise duration and the. Test again for peace of mind before flying home.

 

[Kwami]

I do think false positives are possible with the rapid test they do at the port—have heard of that happening where a person went and got their own rapid pcr immediately after being denied boarding and it came out negative.

I was thinking I would look for an airbnb with a pool or near the beach. Rent a car, isolate there for the cruise duration and the. Test again for peace of mind before flying home.

For what it's worth, you do get a retest at the port if you test positive. They don't take a second sample, but they do test the one sample a second time to confirm the result. The chances of two false positives are very low.

 

[TreeFalls]

Do you share the actual cabin or do you have separate linked cabins? We are meeting my brother's family on board and when I asked the shore side concierge CM they told us if 1 family tests positive the linked family will not be denied boarding as long as you have not been traveling together, arrive at the port together, or are in contact with eachother before the cruise. I'm not sure if that applies if you are all in 1 shared cabin.

I checked the rule a little while ago says something like the person who tests positive and everyone in their stateroom and any other close contacts will be denied boarding.

We have a family of 5 and a family of 2, and we are booked 4 in one room and 3 in the other. I guess it's possible the family of 2 could stay on if someone in the other room tests positive, but I'm in the family of 5 so I think we wouldn't board either way.

 

[MomOTwins]

I checked the rule a little while ago says something like the person who tests positive and everyone in their stateroom and any other close contacts will be denied boarding.

We have a family of 5 and a family of 2, and we are booked 4 in one room and 3 in the other. I guess it's possible the family of 2 could stay on if someone in the other room tests positive, but I'm in the family of 5 so I think we wouldn't board either way.

If your reservations are linked both families will be denied since you are considered close contacts.

 

[bethy]

I do think false positives are possible with the rapid test they do at the port—have heard of that happening where a person went and got their own rapid pcr immediately after being denied boarding and it came out negative.

I was thinking I would look for an airbnb with a pool or near the beach. Rent a car, isolate there for the cruise duration and the. Test again for peace of mind before flying home.

We sailed recently and I had a back up plan for if one of us tested positive at the port for real. First, I booked a rental car through costco out of port canaveral in case we needed it. Then I identified 3 potential nice resorts ahead of time that had little beachfront cottages that would have allowed us to avoid being around other people. And we would have had groceries delivered and quarantined in place for the 10 days. We are all vaxxed, etc.

 

[anneeb]

If your reservations are linked both families will be denied since you are considered close contacts.

That is not what I was told regarding linked reservations when I spoke with concierge services. The decision to link our reservations was based on that reassurance. If linking in advance would mean both families would be denied boarding if the other tested positive we weren't going to do it. We are traveling separately and will have no contact until on board the ship. Sharing a stateroom may be a different set of guidelines. But from what I was told having linked reservations does not automatically make you considered close contacts.

 

[lanejudy]

That is not what I was told regarding linked reservations when I spoke with concierge services. The decision to link our reservations was based on that reassurance. If linking in advance would mean both families would be denied boarding if the other tested positive we weren't going to do it. We are traveling separately and will have no contact until on board the ship. Sharing a stateroom may be a different set of guidelines. But from what I was told having linked reservations does not automatically make you considered close contacts.

This is my understanding as well. Traveling together = close contacts, whether the reservations are linked or not. Linked but not traveling together are not considered close contacts until after boarding; so a pre-boarding positive does not mean both parties are denied boarding.

 

[Cheburashka]

I thought about creating a plan B last week, but couldn't bring myself to consider the possibility. I didn't even investigate if DIsney was going to refund your cruise purchase or say that since they won't have an opportunity to re-sell your cabin that you forfeit your money. (I could see an argument for both ways.)

They do refund your money. You can even get a full refund just by calling them and telling them you feel sick within 2 weeks of the cruise. They don't want sick people sailing, and in this case they're putting their money where their mouth is. Much better for them to pay out some refunds than have to deal with the logistics and publicity nightmare of a major Covid outbreak onboard.

 

[mzspaz]

We sailed recently and I had a back up plan for if one of us tested positive at the port for real. First, I booked a rental car through costco out of port canaveral in case we needed it. Then I identified 3 potential nice resorts ahead of time that had little beachfront cottages that would have allowed us to avoid being around other people. And we would have had groceries delivered and quarantined in place for the 10 days. We are all vaxxed, etc.

This is what I am looking to do. Would you care to share what 3 resorts you had picked out?

I'm looking at a place in Key West as I figure we could make the drive down there. I am a little nervous about renting a car a head of time though. Worried that I might forget to cancel it in the excitement of getting on the ship!

 

[dcassetta]

I am a little nervous about renting a car a head of time though. Worried that I might forget to cancel it in the excitement of getting on the ship!

Unless you do a prepaid rate, there is no need to be concerned. In my experience the big rental companies (Alamo, Hertz, etc.) do not have cancellation fees. They don't even require you to put payment information in when you make the reservation.

 

[mzspaz]

Unless you do a prepaid rate, there is no need to be concerned. In my experience the big rental companies (Alamo, Hertz, etc.) do not have cancellation fees. They don't even require you to put payment information in when you make the reservation.

Thank you!!!! I forgot about that. It's been a while since I have played the rental car game. I went on to Avis and reserved a car. Now I get to stalk the transportation board to keep an eye out for deals.

I also set a reminder for me to attend to the rental car reservation for when we sail. That way I wont get caught up in the excitement of being on board and forget about the reservation!

 

[hrhdhd]

This is what I am looking to do. Would you care to share what 3 resorts you had picked out?

I'm looking at a place in Key West as I figure we could make the drive down there. I am a little nervous about renting a car a head of time though. Worried that I might forget to cancel it in the excitement of getting on the ship!

I wouldn't go all the way to Key West. It'd be half the time to just head west and go somewhere like Madeira Beach/Treasure Island.