Anyone used a "proof of recovery letter" with Cunard.

[lissie]

I have just tested positive for Covid -  I only tested as we returned to NZ today from Fiji and  self-testing is required at the border. Tomorrow I'll arrange a PCR test which is the requirement here (so they can track variants I think). According the CDC I can now use a letter from my doctor to avoid testing when we fly to the USA in July. I'm wondering if the same thing will work for Cunard? Has anyone had any experience with that? 

Edited May 8, 2022 by lissie

[exlondoner]

Hope you are feeling OK.

[lissie]

4 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Hope you are feeling OK.

Totally fine -  Ithought I had a minor cold - would not have bothered testing except it compulsory on arrival. Thank goodness for being triple vaxed 

[techteach]

@lissie Glad to hear you’re feeling fine. Hope the letter makes things easier.

[moses0]

On 5/7/2022 at 11:52 PM, lissie said:

I have just tested positive for Covid -  I only tested as we returned to NZ today from Fiji and  self-testing is required at the border. Tomorrow I'll arrange a PCR test which is the requirement here (so they can track variants I think). According the CDC I can now use a letter from my doctor to avoid testing when we fly to the USA in July. I'm wondering if the same thing will work for Cunard? Has anyone had any experience with that? 

I hope we can get an answer to this as my wife has just recovered from Covid and has proof of positive test and is acquiring a letter from her Doc to say she has recovered. We sail in July out of NYC and are hoping to avoid last minute testing. Better still hoping by then testing not required.  Thankful the relaxing of masking. 

[lissie]

4 hours ago, moses0 said:

I hope we can get an answer to this as my wife has just recovered from Covid and has proof of positive test and is acquiring a letter from her Doc to say she has recovered. We sail in July out of NYC and are hoping to avoid last minute testing. Better still hoping by then testing not required.  Thankful the relaxing of masking. 

Yes we're 24th July out of San Francisco.   It only solves 1/2 our problem unless my partner starts testing positive in the next few days - he's not so far. But it would be nice to 1/2 the cost of testing in SF as its pretty expensive.  

 

I do expect that the USA will have dropped the requirement to test to enter the country by then but I'm not so sure of the cruise ships - particularly for our long , inter-continental cruise. Nor do I particularly want them to - I'm probably immune for a bit but if enough people get sick  it will impact the cruise (which is why I think pre-cruise testing will   stay). 

[Alslc]

There are very specific requirements for the recovery letter 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/pdf/Airline_Checklist_Amended_for_Vaccine_Order_110621_for_posting_UPDATE.pdf

 

I would recommend you getting an antigen test which is (normally) cheaper than getting a fit to fly letter from a private doctor, unless you can get a letter that matches the requirement of the above link.

The certificate of recovery will not suffice as that does not confirm you are "fit to travel", please see this requirement on the link above. 

Hope you get well soon.

Regards

[lissie]

2 hours ago, Alslc said:

There are very specific requirements for the recovery letter 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/pdf/Airline_Checklist_Amended_for_Vaccine_Order_110621_for_posting_UPDATE.pdf

 

I would recommend you getting an antigen test which is (normally) cheaper than getting a fit to fly letter from a private doctor, unless you can get a letter that matches the requirement of the above link.

The certificate of recovery will not suffice as that does not confirm you are "fit to travel", please see this requirement on the link above. 

Hope you get well soon.

Regards

My dr will write what I want him to write - I'll give him that link and that's what I'll get.  He said he's happy to do it at no-extra cost. I don't think I'll get a bill for the  remote consult because the government is covering testing required for public health (I was nowhere near sick enough to need to see him for any other reason). Even if I was paying it would be around US$40 for a consult 

 

The cheapest Ive found in SF is US$75 and its going to waste and hour or 2 of our time. Unfortunately my partner is showing no sign of being infected so we may have to  do the testing for him anyways. 

 

The USA entry requirements are straightforward - its trying t o work out whether Cunard will accept a recovery letter that I'm drawing a blank on 

[Host Hattie]

There's nothing on the Cunard website to say that a recovery certificate will give you an exemption from the requirement for a pre-cruise test.

I wouldn't risk it.

[LewiLewi]

18 hours ago, Alslc said:

There are very specific requirements for the recovery letter 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/pdf/Airline_Checklist_Amended_for_Vaccine_Order_110621_for_posting_UPDATE.pdf

 

I would recommend you getting an antigen test which is (normally) cheaper than getting a fit to fly letter from a private doctor, unless you can get a letter that matches the requirement of the above link.

The certificate of recovery will not suffice as that does not confirm you are "fit to travel", please see this requirement on the link above. 

Hope you get well soon.

Regards

Thank you so much for posting this. I have sent a copy to my brother who will be in Europe and is concerned about how he can return to the USA in case he has a positive Covid result while there.

[moses0]

12 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

There's nothing on the Cunard website to say that a recovery certificate will give you an exemption from the requirement for a pre-cruise test.

I wouldn't risk it.

You are probably right. We will most likely get our free
Walgreens test if still required.  I wonder if anyone has asked Cunard about this though.

[Alslc]

3 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

Thank you so much for posting this. I have sent a copy to my brother who will be in Europe and is concerned about how he can return to the USA in case he has a positive Covid result while there.

 

You're welcome, please keep an eye on the CDC website as I am sure it won't be long before they change 🙂

[GHCruiser7]

Still no real answer to this question.  Some cruise lines DO accept "Certificate of Recovery."  It'd be nice to hear from someone who tried to use it.  As you are aware, after you have tested positive for Covid, you can continue testing positive for months even though you no longer have the virus; particularly if you use a PCR test that can find remnants of the RNA.  I just flew from the U.K. to the U.S. using a recovery certificate, no test required.  If  you have a "fit to travel" letter, you are no longer infectuous as of the date stated in the letter.  People who test positive are advised NOT to retest according to the CDC and every other reputable science/medical agency.  Cunard should state, one way or the other, if this is a valid replacement for a pre-boarding test.  I wish someone would speak up since I'm supposed to board the QE on May 30.

[Host Hattie]

Cunard allows antigen tests so there is no need to worry about testing positive on a PCR.

[moses0]

3 hours ago, GHCruiser7 said:

Still no real answer to this question.  Some cruise lines DO accept "Certificate of Recovery."  It'd be nice to hear from someone who tried to use it.  As you are aware, after you have tested positive for Covid, you can continue testing positive for months even though you no longer have the virus; particularly if you use a PCR test that can find remnants of the RNA.  I just flew from the U.K. to the U.S. using a recovery certificate, no test required.  If  you have a "fit to travel" letter, you are no longer infectuous as of the date stated in the letter.  People who test positive are advised NOT to retest according to the CDC and every other reputable science/medical agency.  Cunard should state, one way or the other, if this is a valid replacement for a pre-boarding test.  I wish someone would speak up since I'm supposed to board the QE on May 30.

Not the easiest company to get answers from. I have asked my daughter who is a TA to call and ask. Who knows when she will get through though. If she gets through hopefully the person she speaks with will know.  If so I will post it. Don't hold your breath though 🙂

Edited May 15, 2022 by moses0

[waterbabies4]

My husband tested positive on July 3 and we are due to sail July 29th out of Southampton.  He continues to test positive using RAT”s. (We are 10 days out) Today we got a PCR test and in 10 days from today he will be able to get a Certificate of Recovery from a physician should he still be testing positive.  

I contacted Cunard and asked the same question everyone here is asking: Should he be testing positive by 29th of July will they accept his Certificate of Recovery to sail.  The answer form the agent was a resounding NO

Cunard currently only accepts a negative Antigen test done within 24 hours of sailing.  And that is that.  Even though their parent company Carnival accepts them in their other ships and the CDC acknowledges that a Certificate is sufficient to demonstrate a person is deemed no contagious if they have one.

Not great news but I hope this is helpful for other cruisers.  Here is hoping for a negative test for DH by July 29th.  

[Covepointcruiser]

I am interested in learning of the cruise lines accepting a Certificate of Recovery?    If you are testing positive on an antigen lateral flow test you are able to transmit the disease to others.   You can catch Omicron a number of times, every variant can get you.

[lissie]

28 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

I am interested in learning of the cruise lines accepting a Certificate of Recovery?    If you are testing positive on an antigen lateral flow test you are able to transmit the disease to others.   You can catch Omicron a number of times, every variant can get you.

Not in the circumstance described above - it happens that you may test positive long after you are recovered and not infectious - not everyone  - but some. 

[lissie]

52 minutes ago, waterbabies4 said:

My husband tested positive on July 3 and we are due to sail July 29th out of Southampton.  He continues to test positive using RAT”s. (We are 10 days out) Today we got a PCR test and in 10 days from today he will be able to get a Certificate of Recovery from a physician should he still be testing positive.  

I contacted Cunard and asked the same question everyone here is asking: Should he be testing positive by 29th of July will they accept his Certificate of Recovery to sail.  The answer form the agent was a resounding NO

Cunard currently only accepts a negative Antigen test done within 24 hours of sailing.  And that is that.  Even though their parent company Carnival accepts them in their other ships and the CDC acknowledges that a Certificate is sufficient to demonstrate a person is deemed no contagious if they have one.

Not great news but I hope this is helpful for other cruisers.  Here is hoping for a negative test for DH by July 29th.  

Wow that's pretty outrageous - I was told not to test  within 90 days of infection - so haven't.   

 

Note that you can test within 2 days for departures ex USA - not24 hours Preparing to sail - At the terminal - Cunard cruises

[Tillylovesseabourn]

With the current strains of covid, you can get covid over and over again. So whilst you might of had it, you could catch it again. Why would Cunard want to run the risk of allowing covid positive people on board. Seems common sense that you still need a negative result to board.

[Poole Boy]

On 7/12/2022 at 11:10 PM, waterbabies4 said:

My husband tested positive on July 3 and we are due to sail July 29th out of Southampton.  He continues to test positive using RAT”s. (We are 10 days out) Today we got a PCR test and in 10 days from today he will be able to get a Certificate of Recovery from a physician should he still be testing positive.  

I contacted Cunard and asked the same question everyone here is asking: Should he be testing positive by 29th of July will they accept his Certificate of Recovery to sail.  The answer form the agent was a resounding NO

Cunard currently only accepts a negative Antigen test done within 24 hours of sailing.  And that is that.  Even though their parent company Carnival accepts them in their other ships and the CDC acknowledges that a Certificate is sufficient to demonstrate a person is deemed no contagious if they have one.

Not great news but I hope this is helpful for other cruisers.  Here is hoping for a negative test for DH by July 29th.  

 

A certificate of Recovery, is what it says, it does not say you are not infectious, which is what a LFT test will indicate.

 

A certificate of Recovery, is more likely to be used in stead of proof of vaccination.

 

In my case I had 12 days of positive LTF tests, and on day 13 I was negative, the recommendation not to test for 90 dates is primarily aimed at PCR tests as they look for genetic material rather than "live" virus.

 

LFT test results give a positive / Negative result  a PCR test result is Detected / Not Detected.

 

While the LFT test is less accurate it is a more pragmatic test, in that it does not usually give a positive result to some one who has recently recovered from Covid

 

[techteach]

Great post @Poole Boy.

[ace2542]

On 7/13/2022 at 7:33 PM, Tillylovesseabourn said:

With the current strains of covid, you can get covid over and over again. So whilst you might of had it, you could catch it again. Why would Cunard want to run the risk of allowing covid positive people on board. Seems common sense that you still need a negative result to board.

There is also the question of how would Cunard verify the Letter/Certificate of Recovery? I highly doubt a GP will speak to a member of check in staff to confirm they issued it?