Home - Tested Negative

[Julma]

I'm not sure if anyone has reported on post cruise test results.  My husband and I sailed on the Edge 8/21.  We tested this AM and tested negative.  While in FLL we were very careful, even ordered room service.  We were on full flights.  On the flights we kept our masks on and didn't eat or drink.   On the ship, we didn't use any special precautions.  I know this isn't enlightening info, but thought it may help some folks with anxiety about cruising.  

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for the information.     I have a couple of those tests and planned on testing upon return.

[Julma]

My subject may have been misleading.  I had the test at CVS, I just had it several days after I was "home" from cruise.

[Peteymil]

I actually took the BimaxNow test at home before I left because I did not get tested until we got to Portland before going to Seattle and I thought I should at least know that I was starting out safely. I did not take the test that needed to be supervised because it was solely for me and not for celebrity.I did the same thing when we got back, and then several days later, for my own assurance before we saw our grandchildren. 
As I have said and other comments, I felt very very safe on the ship, with everyone being vaccinated and tested, and reduced capacity. We also chose to wear masks on the ship, but that was just a personal choice.

[PTC DAWG]

I don't see the point in getting tested unless you have symptoms or need it for travel/work etc..YMMV

 

That's one reason people are having trouble finding testing spots....

Edited September 2, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[D C]

Curious to understand why you were tested.  Did you think you needed to be because of symptoms?

[Julma]

Below is the protocol for the City of Boston (where we live).  As you can see travel is mentioned.  Massachusetts has plenty of availability for testing.  

 

You should get tested if you: 

• are experiencing COVID-like symptoms
• are at high risk for complications from COVID-19
• have been in contact with someone who is infected with COVID-19, or
• have traveled or been in large gatherings

[D C]

Thanks. Makes sense now.  Although the second bullet is rather odd.   Test simply because you're at risk if you get it?  Then test how often?? Daily? Weekly?

 

I haven't been tested in 14 months and don't plan to do so voluntarily except to cruise.  I've seen first hand how bad testing can be. 

[cangelmd]

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I don't see the point in getting tested unless you have symptoms or need it for travel/work etc..YMMV

 

That's one reason people are having trouble finding testing spots....

Hi PTC, are you having cruise withdrawal, I am.

We tested about a week after our Aug 1 cruise because we were headed to see our brand new granddaughter who was 1 month old, but had been born 5 weeks early, so still very new.

I want to reiterate, in our area and some other states, testing is not as easy to find, it is there, but harder to access than some states. And Delta has made it worse, because a lot of testing had "powered down" over the summer and is limited while still getting geared back up.

I'm not saying don't get tested, if you have even minor symptoms, you should get tested, regardless of where you have been and your precautions. But testing just to know might not only use a scarce test, but also expose you more to Covid than you have been exposed,

[LJJQ]

I ordered the BinaxNow Home Covid Test last night and it was just delivered in less than 24 hours! I guess they caught up on deliveries that originally wouldn’t be shipped before two days!

[barneymag]

In the UK we are “encouraged” to take home Lateral flow tests twice weekly. Tests are supplied free either online on UK government website or pick up a pack of 7 tests at any high street pharmacy free of charge. We self test every week as 1/3 of people who are infected never show symptoms but still can infect others.

 

Our business requests visitors to self test before coming into head office and one of our sales managers was due into head office after a 7 day vacation with his kids …. home tested before leaving home with a LFT and showed positive and then booked a PCR at a local test centre which confirmed home test …. without home testing he would have come into our head office and potentially infected 100 people

 

UK hasn’t got everything right, but with testing availability being supported by UK government we at least have economy fully open now and can isolate infected people who don’t even know they are positive 

 

We’re on the first UK international cruise on Silhouette in 3 weeks and everyone has to have negative PCR before boarding and everyone has to prove double vaccination status - no exceptions 

Once we are home we legally have to have a PCR test 2 days after entering country to check for potential new variants and this is checked by authorities 

 

very few cases on the UK only cruises over last 2 months so hopefully this will continue for the international cruises

[cangelmd]

48 minutes ago, barneymag said:

In the UK we are “encouraged” to take home Lateral flow tests twice weekly. Tests are supplied free either online on UK government website or pick up a pack of 7 tests at any high street pharmacy free of charge. We self test every week as 1/3 of people who are infected never show symptoms but still can infect others.

 

Our business requests visitors to self test before coming into head office and one of our sales managers was due into head office after a 7 day vacation with his kids …. home tested before leaving home with a LFT and showed positive and then booked a PCR at a local test centre which confirmed home test …. without home testing he would have come into our head office and potentially infected 100 people

 

UK hasn’t got everything right, but with testing availability being supported by UK government we at least have economy fully open now and can isolate infected people who don’t even know they are positive 

 

We’re on the first UK international cruise on Silhouette in 3 weeks and everyone has to have negative PCR before boarding and everyone has to prove double vaccination status - no exceptions 

Once we are home we legally have to have a PCR test 2 days after entering country to check for potential new variants and this is checked by authorities 

 

very few cases on the UK only cruises over last 2 months so hopefully this will continue for the international cruises

ROFLMAO. That will never happen in the US other than some isolated areas because we are too concerned with OUR RIGHTS, than with finally getting this disease under control. I just can’t even wrap my head around what would happen if this was proposed here.

Thank you, UK, for being the adult in the room and following basic epidemiology principles now that testing is available.

Twice a week is a lot, but with the Ag tests, that would be needed, especially for people who have to go out to work everyday. What percent of people actually follow those guidelines? Does NHs collect any of the data about negative tests? You are doing this right, keep it up while we flounder.

[UnorigionalName]

Sensitivity of BinaxNow in asymptomatic people is like 30%....

 

Don't see the purpose to doing random spot checks (also don't really see why celebrity allows it as a pre-cruise test).

[Ipeeinthepools]

19 minutes ago, UnorigionalName said:

Sensitivity of BinaxNow in asymptomatic people is like 30%....

 

Don't see the purpose to doing random spot checks (also don't really see why celebrity allows it as a pre-cruise test).

 

Yes, but it makes the CDC feel good.

[cangelmd]

2 hours ago, UnorigionalName said:

Sensitivity of BinaxNow in asymptomatic people is like 30%....

 

Don't see the purpose to doing random spot checks (also don't really see why celebrity allows it as a pre-cruise test).

The utility (not absolute sensitivity, but clinical utility) improves with repeat testing over weeks. If you are testing the entire crew, for example, once a week, and someone who has been repeated negative has an equivocal result or a positive, you can immediately quarantine and contact trace to limit exposure. I think the idea of pre-cruise testing is to catch the people who are fooling themselves by saying it’s just the sniffles and who aren’t or can’t  medicate themselves into being afebrile and some of those who bought their cards online…The sensitivity of all lateral flow and rapid Ag tests is lousy, but the predictive value of a positive test in the face of widespread community transmission is pretty darn good and antigen tests are likely better predictors of transmissibility than PCR, at least in the unvaccinated- I’m not sure the study has been done in the vaccinated. But shouldn’t matter, to make viral Ag, you have to have infected cells in the nose dying and releasing virus and in that scenario, it is possible to transmit, just maybe not likely.

[curtsfan]

On 9/1/2021 at 11:30 AM, Julma said:

I'm not sure if anyone has reported on post cruise test results.  My husband and I sailed on the Edge 8/21.  We tested this AM and tested negative.  While in FLL we were very careful, even ordered room service.  We were on full flights.  On the flights we kept our masks on and didn't eat or drink.   On the ship, we didn't use any special precautions.  I know this isn't enlightening info, but thought it may help some folks with anxiety about cruising.  

We were on the same sailing!  We were also careful at the airport & in the planes.  While aboard ship we just social distanced ourselves & washed our hands frequently.   I know that there were 2 passengers on the sailing that tested positive, and were flown home from Nassau.   We also tested ourselves today & were negative.