Trazz007

A quick update on the COVID cruise refund and quarantine reimbursement. I wish I could say that it was over but almost 2 months later it is still ongoing. The good: I got refunded for the shore excursions missed due to COVID in full and quickly. I also got refunded my cruise fare for the days in quarantine (but not the taxes or gratuities). The bad: My spouse had to quarantine for a day as a close contact, they promised cruise fare refund for that day but it is still not done. I also requested gratuity refund for my days in quarantine (given the poor treatment I received) but still nothing. The ugly: The reimbursement for hotel quarantine and food was very disorganized. Nobody seemed to know how to handle it. I was promised multiple times that someone will contact me the next week and nobody ever did. I was told by Royal Caribbean staff on the ship to pay for quarantine accommodation and the food in US dollars. They would cover each day up to $250 US for hotel and $100 US for food. However, once I submitted my expenses to Royal Caribbean, their story changed. They said that hotel is only covered for $100 US and everything has to be reimbursed in Canadian dollars. I spent more than 5 hours on the phone over several days. I eventually got reimbursement on the second last day before my credit card bill was due. They converted the amounts back and forth to Canadian and US dollars at a special exchange rate. Ultimately I ended up getting back $130 US less than I paid. I will have to call them back again to try to sort it out. The conclusion: Do not cruise with Royal Caribbean if you think you might catch COVID. Whatever fun you might have on the ship is not worth the pain of dealing with the cruise ship company afterwards. If you do catch COVID on the ship, make sure they arrange and pay for your onshore accommodation and food. Refuse to leave the ship if it is not done. In Canada, they are required to take care of your quarantine. This will save you a lot of headaches later on.