GRANDEUR OF THE SEAS - Barbados - Terrible reports

[boxman52]

We are booked for this cruise in February and of course we know there is a risk. We have three days on the island before we cruise so we know there is a risk that we could catch it in that period, or travelling even if we enter with a negative PCR. However we expect if we do catch it to be be treat with decency.

 

It seems from all reports on boarding at Barbados this is sadly not the case. If someone can say after testing positive it was not like this, then I'd be delighted and relieved to hear so.

 

Firstly the process for checking in is taking hours and hours during which you are crammed in together. The ship sailed on the Monday as opposed to the Sunday this week due to delays

 

The reports of if you test positive are difficult to believe, however they are coming from multiple sources now. 

 

They consist of being locked up in a cage at the port with no food, drink, seats or toilets for 7 hours. 

 

No communication from Royal who seem to abandon you.

 

Negative passengers in a party with a positive being locked up in the same cage (and yes it sounds like a prison cage) with positive passengers. Obviously this might well pass on the virus if the already hours spent queuing with other passengers hadn't already. This will prolong any stay in quarantine. No consideration given for age or medical conditions. 

 

You are then offered to stay in the Government facility. Reports with pictures in UK press show this to be a prison level facility complete with armed guards. You need to test negative to be released and that will cost you $300 per test. You have no idea how many tests you will need

 

You can stay in an approved hotel at $350+ per night with food another $200 plus per day. Testing is on top of that.

 

Even the taxi ride from the port to the rip off accommodation is at a crazy price.

 

It seems that Royal don't want to know if you aren't on the ship and you are left at the mercies of unscrupulous people and an exploitive government. 

 

To be honest as much as I want to go, why on earth would anyone even if it is a slight chance, and lets be clear its a bit more than that, put themselves and their families in a position where this could happen.

 

I just hope Cruise Critic don't take this down as this warning needs to be known before travel 

[Iamcruzin]

Think of it as an adventure... and welcome to Cruise Critic.

Edited January 5, 2022 by Iamcruzin

[boxman52]

6 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Think of it as an adventure...

I'm not sure sitting on a sun bed drinking cocktails is really an adventure.

Maybe it should be thought of as a degrading prison style experience that you have paid a lot of money for. Perhaps character building at best.

 

BTW I have been here a long time

Edited January 5, 2022 by boxman52
New text

[A&L_Ont]

Perhaps it isn't worth making final payment for this holiday.  It doesn't sound worth it to me, as an adventure or as a character building exercise.  

 

A cruise isn't supposed to be as tough as boot camp or the hunger games, but it sounds more and more at this point in time.  I'm looking forward to my March 2023 sailing and cancelling my March 2022 sailing anyday now. 

[CruisinNole]

Can you tell us the source of the information?

[Beagle Rancher]

2 minutes ago, CruisinNole said:

Can you tell us the source of the information?

I too am interested in the information source. 

[Biker19]

31 minutes ago, boxman52 said:

It seems from all reports on boarding at Barbados this is sadly not the case.

What someone reports today may not be indicative of what will happen next month.

[boxman52]

11 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

What someone reports today may not be indicative of what will happen next month.

But it does portray at the very least an overriding attitude

 

I'm also pretty sure the prices for the Covid secure rooms are locked in, as are the test prices. Harrison Point isn't going to improve

 

Perhaps Royal might suddenly develop a duty of care for non boarded passengers who test positive. Although their move to make testing take place off the ships on disembarkation might be a sign that they are moving away from that position to one of less care driven by reduced cost and risk.

 

However you are correct it might all be absolutely fantastic next week. Who knows 

[shipgeeks]

I'm noticing that words such as "jail", "prison", "thrown into", "disaster", and such are pretty common any more when one wants attention, or to sell a newspaper or blog.

IMO there might be some exaggeration involved.

[RFerrington]

9 minutes ago, boxman52 said:

their move to make testing take place off the ships on disembarkation might be a sign that they are moving away from that position to one of less care driven by reduced cost and risk.

^^BINGO^^

[bajathree]

26 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

What someone reports today may not be indicative of what will happen next month.

You mean things are going to get worse than they are now....oh my

[boxman52]

22 minutes ago, Beagle Rancher said:

I too am interested in the information source. 

The Harrison Point story is in the Metro Paper it can be looked up. That is a respectable UK paper. Even the UK Government says something along the lines of don't expect a hotel it is basic. I have read reports that they don't for example provide beds, if you are lucky you get a plastic chair or its a concrete floor. No air con it goes without saying

 

The chaos at the port is well documented. You can check when it sailed this week

 

The prices for the Covid rooms are well documented as are the tests to get someone to visit

 

How positive people were treated is first hand reports. 

 

All this might well be incorrect and it is one very large conspiracy against RCCL and the island of Barbados being waged in multiple fronts by multiple people at the same time.

 

However, if like me you have a cruised booked next month, I'd like to know that at the very least this is being reported and might be a possibility. I can then make a judgement myself.

 

I have asked Royal and TA if this is true or not, and what steps are taken at the port in the event that I test positive. I was supplied with their policy and that to me is very clear that before boarding it is nothing to do with RCCL

 

  

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, bajathree said:

You mean things are going to get worse than they are now....oh my

Or they could get better - just about anything possible in the COVID era.

[boxman52]

3 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

I'm noticing that words such as "jail", "prison", "thrown into", "disaster", and such are pretty common any more when one wants attention, or to sell a newspaper or blog.

IMO there might be some exaggeration involved.

Well fair play because they have also gone as far as to set up the whole Harrison Point facility and take pictures of it.

Don't you think that perhaps as you have not boarded Royal don't care, and that the Government of a small Island isn't going to provide lots of care at a port and at their free facility? 

Also in this situation people see western tourists as a people who can be exploited as they have no other choice?

If you don't think this happens then you have had a truly bless life till now 

[Sunshine3601]

Barbados has some of the toughest rules and when Barbados updated their covid protocols in September we cancelled our February b2b on Grandeur.   Way before Omicron was a thing.

Plus we didn't want to wear a mask all day long at the airport/airplane and then have to retest once we arrived and take the chance of having to go to their quarantine facility for 14 +/- days.    

 

I have been surprised that we have not heard passengers on Grandeur on these threads. 

 

I did hear one of their December sailings had just under 500 passengers.     Must have felt like their own personal yacht.     

 

I know a lot of folks that were booked for Grandeur, like us, were originally planning on staying in Barbados for either a pre or post cruise holiday and a lot of folks have been cancelling based on their roll calls.    If you plan on a pre-cruise holiday and test positive prior to boarding the ship then I do not think Royal is responsible for taking care of your expenses.    

 

I have heard the barbados quarantine facility is like a jail with concrete walls, etc. but I find it hard to believe they don't have chairs, beds, bathroom facilities.    

 

RCL does Not have control over what any country will require for quarantine.     Exactly why anyone that is traveling, especially internationally, should have travel insurance that will cover covid quarantine accommodations, testing, medical if needed, etc. etc.    If you plan on a pre-cruise holiday and test positive prior to boarding the ship then I do not think Royal is responsible for taking care of your expenses. 

 

 

[Mkripke]

I am travelling on 3/20 so I have a little bit before final payment to see if any of this improves

[little britain]

Existing thread on Grandeur.

 

This week's has 699 pax and 734 crew.

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

18 minutes ago, boxman52 said:

The Harrison Point story is in the Metro Paper it can be looked up. That is a respectable UK paper. Even the UK Government says something along the lines of don't expect a hotel it is basic. I have read reports that they don't for example provide beds, if you are lucky you get a plastic chair or its a concrete floor. No air con it goes without saying

 

The chaos at the port is well documented. You can check when it sailed this week

 

The prices for the Covid rooms are well documented as are the tests to get someone to visit

 

How positive people were treated is first hand reports. 

 

All this might well be incorrect and it is one very large conspiracy against RCCL and the island of Barbados being waged in multiple fronts by multiple people at the same time.

 

However, if like me you have a cruised booked next month, I'd like to know that at the very least this is being reported and might be a possibility. I can then make a judgement myself.

 

I have asked Royal and TA if this is true or not, and what steps are taken at the port in the event that I test positive. I was supplied with their policy and that to me is very clear that before boarding it is nothing to do with RCCL

 

  

 

It is considered courteous and appropriate to give people links to any sources.  Otherwise, your credibility is stretched thin.

 

Here is the source that I believe you are referencing:  https://metro.co.uk/2021/02/12/brits-describe-prison-camp-conditions-at-barbados-covid-facility-14069497/

[Merion_Mom]

13 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Barbados has some of the toughest rules and when Barbados updated their covid protocols in September we cancelled our February b2b on Grandeur.   Way before Omicron was a thing.

Plus we didn't want to wear a mask all day long at the airport/airplane and then have to retest once we arrived and take the chance of having to go to their quarantine facility for 14 +/- days.    

 

I have been surprised that we have not heard passengers on Grandeur on these threads. 

 

I did hear one of their December sailings had just under 500 passengers.     Must have felt like their own personal yacht.     

 

I know a lot of folks that were booked for Grandeur, like us, were originally planning on staying in Barbados for either a pre or post cruise holiday and a lot of folks have been cancelling based on their roll calls.    If you plan on a pre-cruise holiday and test positive prior to boarding the ship then I do not think Royal is responsible for taking care of your expenses.    

 

I have heard the barbados quarantine facility is like a jail with concrete walls, etc. but I find it hard to believe they don't have chairs, beds, bathroom facilities.    

 

RCL does Not have control over what any country will require for quarantine.     Exactly why anyone that is traveling, especially internationally, should have travel insurance that will cover covid quarantine accommodations, testing, medical if needed, etc. etc.    If you plan on a pre-cruise holiday and test positive prior to boarding the ship then I do not think Royal is responsible for taking care of your expenses. 

 

 

 

I have a friend who traveled on the Grandeur in December.  She said that they had a wonderful time and did not experience any issues even vaguely resembling what is being discussed in this thread.

[Merion_Mom]

3 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

It is considered courteous and appropriate to give people links to any sources.  Otherwise, your credibility is stretched thin.

 

Here is the source that I believe you are referencing:  https://metro.co.uk/2021/02/12/brits-describe-prison-camp-conditions-at-barbados-covid-facility-14069497/

 

BTW, I can't believe that anyone is so irresponsible as to take an INFANT to Barbados on vacation during a pandemic.  I am just SMDH.

[LGW59]

25 minutes ago, boxman52 said:

The Harrison Point story is in the Metro Paper it can be looked up. That is a respectable UK paper. Even the UK Government says something along the lines of don't expect a hotel it is basic. I have read reports that they don't for example provide beds, if you are lucky you get a plastic chair or its a concrete floor. No air con it goes without saying

 

The chaos at the port is well documented. You can check when it sailed this week

 

The prices for the Covid rooms are well documented as are the tests to get someone to visit

 

How positive people were treated is first hand reports. 

 

All this might well be incorrect and it is one very large conspiracy against RCCL and the island of Barbados being waged in multiple fronts by multiple people at the same time.

 

However, if like me you have a cruised booked next month, I'd like to know that at the very least this is being reported and might be a possibility. I can then make a judgement myself.

 

I have asked Royal and TA if this is true or not, and what steps are taken at the port in the event that I test positive. I was supplied with their policy and that to me is very clear that before boarding it is nothing to do with RCCL

 

  

That paper is known for using bombastic and sensationalized rhetoric to sell papers, much like you are trying to do here.  Locked in cages, no food/drink etc.  Just stop it already!

[LGW59]

5 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

BTW, I can't believe that anyone is so irresponsible as to take an INFANT to Barbados on vacation during a pandemic.  I am just SMDH.

Plenty on these boards talk about bringing infants, toddlers, tweens etc and then when they find out the various kids facilities are not operating, good lord they go nuts.

[little britain]

9 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

That paper is known for using bombastic and sensationalized rhetoric to sell papers, much like you are trying to do here.  Locked in cages, no food/drink etc.  Just stop it already!

You don't even pay.  It's a free newspaper - given out at train stations in the mornings! 

[shipgeeks]

I must need new glasses.  I read the article, but could not find any mention of being locked in a cage at the port for 7 hours with no chairs, no toilet, etc.

[nocl]

1 hour ago, boxman52 said:

The Harrison Point story is in the Metro Paper it can be looked up. That is a respectable UK paper. Even the UK Government says something along the lines of don't expect a hotel it is basic. I have read reports that they don't for example provide beds, if you are lucky you get a plastic chair or its a concrete floor. No air con it goes without saying

 

The chaos at the port is well documented. You can check when it sailed this week

 

The prices for the Covid rooms are well documented as are the tests to get someone to visit

 

How positive people were treated is first hand reports. 

 

All this might well be incorrect and it is one very large conspiracy against RCCL and the island of Barbados being waged in multiple fronts by multiple people at the same time.

 

However, if like me you have a cruised booked next month, I'd like to know that at the very least this is being reported and might be a possibility. I can then make a judgement myself.

 

I have asked Royal and TA if this is true or not, and what steps are taken at the port in the event that I test positive. I was supplied with their policy and that to me is very clear that before boarding it is nothing to do with RCCL

 

  

 

 

You mean these stories from Feb and Aug.  The Aug story seems to disgree with much of what you claim.  It is basic but they do provide TV, bed, etc.  It also indicated that one can transfer to a government approved hotel for quarantine.

 

Brits describe 'prison camp' conditions at Barbados Covid facility ...

Feb 12, 2021 ... British tourists have told how they experienced 'prison camp' conditions at a Covid quarantine facility in Barbados

 

Brit quarantined in Barbados says UK 'could learn from harsher ...

Metro › News › UK

Aug 3, 2021 ... A holidaymaker who spent just a day with his family after testing positive for Covid in Barbados says he has no complaints about the rules.