NCL letter again (Antigen Test)

[irishgirl666]

I received another letter from NCL regarding registering for the Antigen covid test which will be done at the dock and they will pay for it.  I went on to look at the site and it is the same lab we all already registered for, for the PCR test.  Do we register again the the Antigen Test?

[BirdTravels]

Your test will only affect whether you get reimbursed for quarantine costs if you are denied boarding.

 

Everyone must take the cruise line test at check-in.

Edited September 15, 2021 by BirdTravels

[Kimbahh]

Bird do you have the link to the page that states you can only get reimbursed for quarantine costs if you have proof of antigen before arriving to the port?  All the links I had aren't working anymore, I am wondering if they changed this policy?

 

[EllieinNJ]

2 hours ago, irishgirl666 said:

I received another letter from NCL regarding registering for the Antigen covid test which will be done at the dock and they will pay for it.  I went on to look at the site and it is the same lab we all already registered for, for the PCR test.  Do we register again the the Antigen Test?

They are not giving the PCR test at the dock.  You must get that yourself where a available on Wednesday to get the results by Friday to send to Bermuda with a copy of the CDC card and $75.  Then when you get it approved by Bermuda you bring this approval plus all other requirements to the dock and then you will receive an antigen test from the company you signed up for from the letter.  If you test positive and denied boarding, NCL will accept the negative result from the PCR test so you can get either FCC or your money back.

[Mike C]

2 hours ago, irishgirl666 said:

I received another letter from NCL regarding registering for the Antigen covid test which will be done at the dock and they will pay for it.  I went on to look at the site and it is the same lab we all already registered for, for the PCR test.  Do we register again the the Antigen Test?

For the Bermuda cruises from New York, both tests will be performed by Eurofins at the same time. You should have received a barcode when you registered.  Bring that to the port for the tests.

[ChiefMateJRK]

49 minutes ago, Kimbahh said:

Bird do you have the link to the page that states you can only get reimbursed for quarantine costs if you have proof of antigen before arriving to the port?  All the links I had aren't working anymore, I am wondering if they changed this policy?

 

Norwegian Cruise Line | Sail Safe | Health & Safety Protocols (ncl.com)

[njhorseman]

14 minutes ago, EllieinNJ said:

They are not giving the PCR test at the dock.

They are taking PCR test samples at the dock for the Breakaway cruises to Bermuda. The swabs for the PCR test that would normally done when arriving in Bermuda are instead being taken at the pier in NY and apparently will be processed by an independent lab, not Bermuda's government lab. This departure from Bermuda's normal procedures is being done because it would be impossible for Bermuda to do the testing for a couple of thousand passengers arriving on the Breakaway. They don't have to facilities to do it.

So...you have a series of three tests :

(1) PCR test done a few days before embarkation that you submit to Bermuda to obtain your Travel Authorization.

(2) Antigen test taken at the pier in NY by NCL's vendor to satisfy NCL's protocols.

(3) PCR test swabs taken at the pier in NY taken by NCL's vendor that will be processed while the cruise is underway to satisfy Bermuda's requirement for an arrival PCR test,

[irishgirl666]

So you only have to register once.  Only one bar code.  Very confusing.    The first test done a few days before is a nasal swab correct?

[goldmom]

I don't know.  It is confusing and it's also something new for Eurofins as normally they would only be performing one test per passenger at the pier.  I might register again in case I'd need 2 barcodes, one for the antigen and one for the Bermuda PCR at the pier.

It would be nice if NCL had more complete instructions.  Maybe a quick e-mail to: vicepresidentguestservices@ncl.com would help to clarify this.  Or possibly contacting Eurofins.

Good luck and let us know if you find out anything.

[EllieinNJ]

Sorry. I forgot about the SECOND PCR test required by Bermuda at the dock along with the antigen test required by NCL given by Eurofins.

[njhorseman]

9 hours ago, irishgirl666 said:

So you only have to register once.  Only one bar code.  Very confusing.    The first test done a few days before is a nasal swab correct?

A nasal swab is the most common way of obtaining a sample for COVID testing.

[phillygwm]

19 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Norwegian Cruise Line | Sail Safe | Health & Safety Protocols (ncl.com)

Maybe I'm crazy but has this changed recently?  I noticed two things:  1)  The 72 hour what I'll call "pre-test" wasn't always specified to be PCR, was it?  I think most of us were planning a proctored antigen test;  2)  Someone (sorry, I forget who) mentioned a letter from the VP of Guest Services which specified that the 72 hours was from the time of departure for your port.  So if your cruise was Sunday but you flew in on Saturday, you could get tested as early as Wednesday,  This link pretty clearly states date of sailing, which is Thursday.  

 

I know things are constantly changing so no need to even worry about this if you're more than a few weeks out.  But just wondering if others read this as I did.

[ChiefMateJRK]

14 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

1)  The 72 hour what I'll call "pre-test" wasn't always specified to be PCR, was it? 

It still isn't.

[dhanakorn]

This is from the letter I received today for my upcoming cruise next week.

 

"We strongly encourage all guests to take a COVID-19 PCR test within 72-hours prior to their sail date as an added precaution. If a PCR test is not readily available, then we encourage guests to at a minimum take a COVID-19 antigen test, prior to travel."

 

 

 

"Norwegian Cruise Line will assist with expenses related to any mandatory quarantine only if the guest provides proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken within 72-hours of their travel date."