Request Royal to stop negative Covid test to board

[John&LaLa]

On 7/7/2022 at 10:44 AM, Sunshine3601 said:

We have tested several times at Walgreen and each time we're asked to show ID and we had to input insurance info into system when scheduling even though they have it on record for prescriptions.

 

I'm sure it varies by location. I haven't shown ID this year, but did a few times in '21

[Sunshine3601]

15 hours ago, jsoenning said:

At $128 per person.  I didn’t lie and say I had symptoms to get it for free.  Cost me $500 for four people. 

That's ridiculous, you could have opted for online proctor and pd $80 for 4 people.

[Travelw]

In my opinion, the whole point is, stop treating cruises different than everything else.  You can get Covid everywhere, amusement park, grocery store, hotel, airport, etc.  on cruise everyone is vaccinated and in many cases boosted.  Yes you might det Covid, but it should be mild.

Covid is not going away, we need to learn to live with it.  Get annual booster like people do for the flu.

There are people that won’t get vaccinated, that is their choice, but there are people that don’t get the flu shot as well.  We just need to get on with our life.

 

 

 

[Project-College]

54 minutes ago, Travelw said:

In my opinion, the whole point is, stop treating cruises different than everything else.  You can get Covid everywhere, amusement park, grocery store, hotel, airport, etc.  on cruise everyone is vaccinated and in many cases boosted.  Yes you might det Covid, but it should be mild.

Covid is not going away, we need to learn to live with it.  Get annual booster like people do for the flu.

There are people that won’t get vaccinated, that is their choice, but there are people that don’t get the flu shot as well.  We just need to get on with our life.

 

 

 

AGREED!

My TA was very vocal about how they treat Cruises as compared to other forms of vacations.

[tunisbridal]

5 hours ago, cured said:

The at home/online tests are 6 for $150 through emed.  Even cheaper are the free gov't tests and using Onpoint testing. They can be as little as $10 per person with a code. Instead of $500, you could have spent $40. You had options. You chose the most expensive route.

Those are the ones that are not proctored.  It must be proctored. 

[Tlbecker1]

7 minutes ago, tunisbridal said:

Those are the ones that are not proctored.  It must be proctored. 

All of the above tests are proctored.  You can use emed tests/Binax now and the federal ones.  They can both be proctored.

[Tlbecker1]

13 minutes ago, tunisbridal said:

Those are the ones that are not proctored.  It must be proctored. 

That is how we have been testing for our last 10 cruises with no problems.

Edited July 9, 2022 by Tlbecker1

[time4u2go]

18 minutes ago, tunisbridal said:

Those are the ones that are not proctored.

Not true:

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/where-can-i-purchase-an-emed-kit

 

Edited July 9, 2022 by time4u2go

[tunisbridal]

I have used emed several times.  Can you use any test with emed!?i always bought from optum. 

Edited July 9, 2022 by tunisbridal
Mis spell

[easyqueasy]

5 hours ago, cured said:

The at home/online tests are 6 for $150 through emed.  Even cheaper are the free gov't tests and using Onpoint testing. They can be as little as $10 per person with a code. Instead of $500, you could have spent $40. You had options. You chose the most expensive route.

What if they were traveling with unvaccinated kids and needed the PCR tests? You don’t know their situation.

[Tlbecker1]

3 minutes ago, tunisbridal said:

I have used emed several times.  Can you use any test with emed!?i always bought from optum. 

You can use the tests from emed:  https://www.emed.com/ , which includes the ones that are purchased through Optum, they are the same tests.

[not-enough-cruising]

43 minutes ago, tunisbridal said:

Those are the ones that are not proctored.  It must be proctored. 

Free government tests can be proctored for a small fee. 

[tunisbridal]

1 minute ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Free government tests can be proctored for a small fee. 

Good to know!

[StolidCruiser]

19 hours ago, jsoenning said:

just cost me $500 they need to end 

 

6 hours ago, cured said:

The at home/online tests are 6 for $150 through emed.  Even cheaper are the free gov't tests and using Onpoint testing. They can be as little as $10 per person with a code. Instead of $500, you could have spent $40. You had options. You chose the most expensive route.

The is also a zero -cost option.

[aubreyc1988]

7 hours ago, time4u2go said:

European cruises only.

ahh ok. I saw the headline while I was in Nassau, got too excited for a second lol. 

[ace2542]

On 7/7/2022 at 3:55 PM, Tree_skier said:

Exactly, we must save the cruise industry.

Everyone here assumes the cruise industry was meant to survive this? Perhaps it wasn't meant to?

[ace2542]

19 hours ago, MomtherOfDragons said:

It’s not that hard to fake the tests, if someone wants to lie they can. 

On our last cruise out of Galveston we were next to a family that had a member test positive for the flu but negative for Covid. They let them on, no problem. The testing is a joke and needs to end. The flu is also dangerous for the same population that are in danger of severe/fatal covid complications and yet we don’t mandate flu vaccines and testing. Let people take their own chances 🙄

They should not have been allowed to board either. They could have created a new flu/covid combined virus from the spread of both virus at the same time. A new virus that would sweep the world and kill millions. And they should mandate flu vaccines and testing. I wonder how many working days where lost to staff because of flu.

Edited July 10, 2022 by ace2542

[pyrateslife4me84]

2 hours ago, ace2542 said:

Everyone here assumes the cruise industry was meant to survive this? Perhaps it wasn't meant to?

You know, neither communicable disease nor pandemics are a new thing, right?

[jerseygirl629]

16 hours ago, Travelw said:

In my opinion, the whole point is, stop treating cruises different than everything else.  You can get Covid everywhere, amusement park, grocery store, hotel, airport, etc.  on cruise everyone is vaccinated and in many cases boosted.  Yes you might det Covid, but it should be mild.

Covid is not going away, we need to learn to live with it.  Get annual booster like people do for the flu.

There are people that won’t get vaccinated, that is their choice, but there are people that don’t get the flu shot as well.  We just need to get on with our life.

 

 

 

There is a major difference between cruising and the other activities you listed. On a cruise, you’re confined to a ship in the middle of the ocean for 3-8+ Days with the same people. All of the other activities you listed are places where people should still be wearing masks and even if they aren’t, you can control who you are standing next to and for how long. I doubt you’re standing next to the same person at the grocery store for your entire trip. Same with airports, amusement parks, or other hotels. They are very smart to keep the testing and vaccine mandate.
 

What they should be doing is requiring PCR tests, not rapids, to board. Broadway in NYC is still testing their actors every other day and it has worked for them in the sense that they have been successfully preventing major outbreaks, with the exception of Winter 2021-2022 where Omicron was rampant.

 

[vjmatty]

18 minutes ago, jerseygirl629 said:

 

What they should be doing is requiring PCR tests, not rapids, to board. Broadway in NYC is still testing their actors every other day and it has worked for them in the sense that they have been successfully preventing major outbreaks, with the exception of Winter 2021-2022 where Omicron was rampant.

 

Unless they change the testing window to 4-5 days before sailing instead of the current 1-2 days, that's not going to work. 

[time4u2go]

35 minutes ago, jerseygirl629 said:

There is a major difference between cruising and the other activities you listed. On a cruise, you’re confined to a ship in the middle of the ocean for 3-8+ Days with the same people. All of the other activities you listed are places where people should still be wearing masks and even if they aren’t, you can control who you are standing next to and for how long. I doubt you’re standing next to the same person at the grocery store for your entire trip. Same with airports, amusement parks, or other hotels. They are very smart to keep the testing and vaccine mandate.
 

What they should be doing is requiring PCR tests, not rapids, to board. Broadway in NYC is still testing their actors every other day and it has worked for them in the sense that they have been successfully preventing major outbreaks, with the exception of Winter 2021-2022 where Omicron was rampant.

 

Another difference is that with cruise ships, there's only a limited amount of medical care readily available, both in terms of personnel and facilities.  With the other activities, there's almost certainly adequate medical care available within a reasonable drive.  Admittedly this is not as much of a consideration as it was previously, but I would guess that it is a factor with cruise protocols.

[Project-College]

2 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Another difference is that with cruise ships, there's only a limited amount of medical care readily available, both in terms of personnel and facilities.  With the other activities, there's almost certainly adequate medical care available within a reasonable drive.  Admittedly this is not as much of a consideration as it was previously, but I would guess that it is a factor with cruise protocols.

That's a VERY good point I have not heard before!

I know there trying but there are sooooo many ways people are 'bypassing' valid tests that it is reminding me of the initial 'xerox copies' of the vaccine cards (until they were backed digitally). 

[CruisingHogFan]

3 hours ago, ace2542 said:

They should not have been allowed to board either. They could have created a new flu/covid combined virus from the spread of both virus at the same time. A new virus that would sweep the world and kill millions. And they should mandate flu vaccines and testing. I wonder how many working days where lost to staff because of flu.

I don’t believe they would have been allowed on if they were honest. You have to answer the wellness questions and if they  they would have been denied boarding with the flu symptoms. It’s always been that way even before Covid.
 

People just lie on the questionnaire because that’s how society is these days

[jerseygirl3]

3 hours ago, ace2542 said:

They should not have been allowed to board either. They could have created a new flu/covid combined virus from the spread of both virus at the same time. A new virus that would sweep the world and kill millions. And they should mandate flu vaccines and testing. I wonder how many working days where lost to staff because of flu.

My husband contracted Influenza A on our last cruise before the pandemic started (Feb 2020). As did 80 other passengers. All were quarantined. He was allowed to stay in our cabin and irder room service. No cabin attendant seevice. The medical center did not quarantine me, but they did put me on Tamiflu prophylactically. I stayed in the cabin fir the most part anyway because i didnt want to leave my husband alone I know for sure my husband didnt board the ship with flu, as we were already 9 days into a 12 day cruise when he first felt ill and stayed in our cabin that evening and in the morning went to the Medical Center, where they tested him for flu. 

[not-enough-cruising]

31 minutes ago, Project-College said:

That's a VERY good point I have not heard before!

I know there trying but there are sooooo many ways people are 'bypassing' valid tests that it is reminding me of the initial 'xerox copies' of the vaccine cards (until they were backed digitally). 

Vaccine cards “backed digitally”?