Current quarantine policy

[RoperDK]

I don't want to start another one of "those" threads, but this hasn't been posted recently.  What is Royal's current policy for those that test positive during the cruise?  Are you allowed to quarantine in your original cabin like you do for the flu or noro or are moved down to the bowels of the ship?  What about your traveling companion?  I would hope that with the new protocols they would treat covid the same as other respiratory viruses and have you quarantine in place.  I am sure that most folks nowadays don't report symptoms unless they are becoming quite ill.  There are options to limit your exposure to others.  I just want to know what is happening on the ships now.    

[BirdTravels]

24 minutes ago, RoperDK said:

  I am sure that most folks nowadays don't report symptoms unless they are becoming quite ill. 

In which case, you want to be moved to a "COVID ward" where you can be monitored and helped quickly versus calling multiple Code Alphas and having the medical team running all over the ship to get to provide assistance. 

[Oceansaway17]

On the Allure back in June two doors down from me folks tested positive.  2 out of 3 were positive and they wanted to move all 3.  The negative person put up a fuss and complained.

I think in the end that person got to stay.

 

Now I tried to ask general questions about isolation to a security person who clammed up and told me to go to guest services.  At guest services they gave me a lot of what ifs and non answers. Later I asked my room steward and he was reluctant to tell me details.

 

So at least on the Allure they were hush hush.  Then again, the CD never ever told us why the main show Mamma Mia was on last week but not on the week that I was on.  3-4 different rumors swirled around and yet nothing from the CD and his staff was reluctant to say.  

Overall, I found the staff on Allure to be a bit different than say the Wonder or the Symphony.  Just so very reluctant to provide answers to a lot of questions.

 

So, for quarantine I do know they had a mid-deck in front of ship a whole sections behind doors and was told that was for quarantine.  So not on the lower levels.

[Ourusualbeach]

Procedures could easily vary by ship.

Edited September 8, 2022 by Ourusualbeach

[AlohaLivin]

I actually asked the concierge on explorer 2 weeks ago I was just curious what they were doing at this point. There was pretty significant sidestepping of the question, but as best I could tell they are still quarantining covid positive passengers in a specific area of the ship and having them disembark separately from other passengers.

Edited September 8, 2022 by AlohaLivin

[Russ Lomas]

Based on first-hand knowledge, unfortunately, this is how our experience was handled.  We disembarked the Explorer of the Seas with four of the twelve of our group having tested positive during the cruise (3 others tested positive about a day after disembarking).

 

Our absolute biggest concern, which I made known to RCCL after the cruise, was that every time we received information from a Guest Services agent, or the Infection Control officer, the information was constantly changing and answers to our questions also changed constantly.  This is something they really should have a better handle on now on providing clear and consistent messaging.  This really led to a lot of frustration and wasted time for the 2nd half of our 8-day cruise.

 

One daughter tested positive on day 4 of 8.  We were given the option of moving both her and her sister, who shared the same cabin (but tested negative) down to deck 2 in the isolation ward.  If you moved, you were REFUNDED the part of the cruise you missed if isolated.  The other individual, who tested negative but chose to isolate, is given FCC equal to the portion of the cruise missed.  If you move to the isolation area, you are not given a key to the cabin, so there is no chance that you can leave and get back in.  They were also given the option of both quarantining in their original cabin together.  My daughter who tested negative did not want to be stuck in isolation, so she was permitted to stay in her original cabin and move freely around the ship, while her sister was put six decks beneath us on deck 2.

 

Many people on our cruise caught Covid.  I talked to another lady whose elderly husband also tested positive.  They were permitted to stay in their original cabin, but she was allowed to come and go freely from the cabin, with absolutely no masking required.  They also had other family members from other cabins come and visit the sick individual in the cabin (not sure if this was allowed, but the did it anyway).

 

One of my other daughters (from a different cabin) tested positive on day 7, along with 2 other children in another family cruising with us.  We had this daughter isolate in her original cabin and her sister who had shared the cabin with her the past 6 days moved in with our other daughter who tested negative on day 4 and had a cabin to herself at this time.

 

I was informed by guest services agents that as her parent who was not staying in the same cabin with her, I was permitted to move freely around the ship, but if I went into the buffet, I would have to gather my food and I would not be permitted to eat in the buffet, but would have to take my food to an outside area to eat it (totally ridiculous and not what the person I mentioned previously was told).  The parents of the other 2 children we were cruising with were told something different yet again.  They were told they had to mask whenever they moved around the ship, even though they had tested negative.  Yet again, a 3rd different answer to the same question...

 

You can see where the frustration came from (and this happened over and over with flight changes, transportation arrangements, hotel reservations - over and over for 3 days).

 

What I do have to highly praise RCCL for is that we have already received the refund to our credit card for the pro-rated portion of the cruise for those who tested positive on the ship within 2 weeks of the sailing's completion.  We also received full compensation for our hotel rooms and food as we drove back to Canada from Florida.  Our relatives received full compensation for their hotel room, food, and air transportation changes.  I was shocked to see the credits on our credit card statement that quickly.

 

One warning for non-US citizens regarding reimbursements for submitted documents.  I submitted our total amount in US dollars to RCCL.  They credited our credit card the same dollar figure (but in Canadian funds), thus we were short-changed by the 30-35% exchange rate.  One more email to RCCL though had this resolved, and 4 or 5 days later we were issued another credit to our credit cards for the difference in the exchange rate.

[cruiseboy89130]

2 hours ago, Russ Lomas said:

Based on first-hand knowledge, unfortunately, this is how our experience was handled.  We disembarked the Explorer of the Seas with four of the twelve of our group having tested positive during the cruise (3 others tested positive about a day after disembarking).

 

Our absolute biggest concern, which I made known to RCCL after the cruise, was that every time we received information from a Guest Services agent, or the Infection Control officer, the information was constantly changing and answers to our questions also changed constantly.  This is something they really should have a better handle on now on providing clear and consistent messaging.  This really led to a lot of frustration and wasted time for the 2nd half of our 8-day cruise.

 

One daughter tested positive on day 4 of 8.  We were given the option of moving both her and her sister, who shared the same cabin (but tested negative) down to deck 2 in the isolation ward.  If you moved, you were REFUNDED the part of the cruise you missed if isolated.  The other individual, who tested negative but chose to isolate, is given FCC equal to the portion of the cruise missed.  If you move to the isolation area, you are not given a key to the cabin, so there is no chance that you can leave and get back in.  They were also given the option of both quarantining in their original cabin together.  My daughter who tested negative did not want to be stuck in isolation, so she was permitted to stay in her original cabin and move freely around the ship, while her sister was put six decks beneath us on deck 2.

 

Many people on our cruise caught Covid.  I talked to another lady whose elderly husband also tested positive.  They were permitted to stay in their original cabin, but she was allowed to come and go freely from the cabin, with absolutely no masking required.  They also had other family members from other cabins come and visit the sick individual in the cabin (not sure if this was allowed, but the did it anyway).

 

One of my other daughters (from a different cabin) tested positive on day 7, along with 2 other children in another family cruising with us.  We had this daughter isolate in her original cabin and her sister who had shared the cabin with her the past 6 days moved in with our other daughter who tested negative on day 4 and had a cabin to herself at this time.

 

I was informed by guest services agents that as her parent who was not staying in the same cabin with her, I was permitted to move freely around the ship, but if I went into the buffet, I would have to gather my food and I would not be permitted to eat in the buffet, but would have to take my food to an outside area to eat it (totally ridiculous and not what the person I mentioned previously was told).  The parents of the other 2 children we were cruising with were told something different yet again.  They were told they had to mask whenever they moved around the ship, even though they had tested negative.  Yet again, a 3rd different answer to the same question...

 

You can see where the frustration came from (and this happened over and over with flight changes, transportation arrangements, hotel reservations - over and over for 3 days).

 

What I do have to highly praise RCCL for is that we have already received the refund to our credit card for the pro-rated portion of the cruise for those who tested positive on the ship within 2 weeks of the sailing's completion.  We also received full compensation for our hotel rooms and food as we drove back to Canada from Florida.  Our relatives received full compensation for their hotel room, food, and air transportation changes.  I was shocked to see the credits on our credit card statement that quickly.

 

One warning for non-US citizens regarding reimbursements for submitted documents.  I submitted our total amount in US dollars to RCCL.  They credited our credit card the same dollar figure (but in Canadian funds), thus we were short-changed by the 30-35% exchange rate.  One more email to RCCL though had this resolved, and 4 or 5 days later we were issued another credit to our credit cards for the difference in the exchange rate.

Why did you all go and test? IMHO not a smart move!

[Joseph2017China]

Why would you test positive on the cruise?  Is testing still a thing?

 

[rudeney]

2 hours ago, Joseph2017China said:

Why would you test positive on the cruise?  Is testing still a thing?

 

 

I am sure some people will chime in and say how it's "the right thing to do", but honestly, I'm not going to get tested unless I actually need medical care.  So far in life, I've not needed medical car for any respiratory infections, including when I had original recipe COVID in 200 before vaccines were available. 

 

All my life I've suffered from allergies with a dry cough and sinus congestion 24x7x365, but I do know when it's "different" in the case of some sort of infection.  In that case I stay away from others so I don't transmit whatever it is - cold, flu or COVID - to others.  Just remember that not every cough is COVID.

[Russ Lomas]

21 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

Why did you all go and test? IMHO not a smart move!

Mainly because our other daughter in the room did not want to get Covid by staying in the same cabin for 5 more days with somebody who was infected.  I do not blame her.

 

Also, because it is the responsible thing to do.  There are too many selfish, inconsiderate people around who couldn't care less about passing it on to other people who could get very ill from it, all because it may inconvenience their vacation plans.

[Russ Lomas]

10 hours ago, rudeney said:

  In that case I stay away from others so I don't transmit whatever it is - cold, flu or COVID - to others.

It is tough to stay away from someone when you are sharing the same cabin with the person for a cruise.

[rudeney]

10 minutes ago, Russ Lomas said:

It is tough to stay away from someone when you are sharing the same cabin with the person for a cruise.

 

True, but I was thinking of people who I am not married to - my wife signed up for better or worse  🙂.  Ironically, when I had original recipe COVID back in Nov. 2020 (which was just a cold for me except for long-COVID olfactory issues), my wife never got sick with it.  Of course that doesn't mean she didn't get it.  She is one of the few people who seems to have a stronger immune system than me.  Our kid had no symptoms, either, but we're pretty sure she had it earlier in the year while in school in Georgia. 

 

Over the last two weeks, all three of us have had a typical cold/sinus infection.  The kid came home with it the previous Monday,  I woke up with it on Saturday, and my wife woke up with it this Tuesday.  We've been COVID testing daily, and there have been no positives.  It seems to last about 4-5 days.  The kid was fine by this weekend, I'm good today except for remnants of a cough, and my wife is right in the middle of it, so hopefully by Sunday she'll be over it. 

 

Honestly, I think it's Omicron despite the negative tests.  From what I've read,  the rapid antigen tests can be negative for vaccinated people who also have natural immunity and a strong immune systems.  The cold symptoms are our body doing its job to fight the virus, and it's doing such a good job that there is not enough of a viral load for an antigen test to detect.  I will not be unhappy if it is Omicron.  I'm OK with spending a few days with a cold to continue to build a stronger immune system.

[cruiseboy89130]

3 hours ago, Russ Lomas said:

Mainly because our other daughter in the room did not want to get Covid by staying in the same cabin for 5 more days with somebody who was infected.  I do not blame her.

 

Also, because it is the responsible thing to do.  There are too many selfish, inconsiderate people around who couldn't care less about passing it on to other people who could get very ill from it, all because it may inconvenience their vacation plans.

Well since they were in the same cabin - she was exposed anyway...so still does not make sense.

I'm happy you ruined your vacation for somebody?!

People that could get very ill from it, should not be on a cruise to begin with - if they risk it - well.....

[jaygatsby27]

On 9/8/2022 at 9:28 AM, Joseph2017China said:

Why would you test positive on the cruise?  Is testing still a thing?

 

if you were crazy enough to tell someone you werent feeling well.  I recommend everyone bring their own tests and if they arent feeling well, test themselves and self isolate.   my wife and i were so poorly treated in quarantine, its not worth letting anyone know. 

Edited September 28, 2022 by jaygatsby27

[jaygatsby27]

On 9/8/2022 at 11:04 PM, rudeney said:

 

True, but I was thinking of people who I am not married to - my wife signed up for better or worse  🙂.  Ironically, when I had original recipe COVID back in Nov. 2020 (which was just a cold for me except for long-COVID olfactory issues), my wife never got sick with it.  Of course that doesn't mean she didn't get it.  She is one of the few people who seems to have a stronger immune system than me.  Our kid had no symptoms, either, but we're pretty sure she had it earlier in the year while in school in Georgia. 

 

Over the last two weeks, all three of us have had a typical cold/sinus infection.  The kid came home with it the previous Monday,  I woke up with it on Saturday, and my wife woke up with it this Tuesday.  We've been COVID testing daily, and there have been no positives.  It seems to last about 4-5 days.  The kid was fine by this weekend, I'm good today except for remnants of a cough, and my wife is right in the middle of it, so hopefully by Sunday she'll be over it. 

 

Honestly, I think it's Omicron despite the negative tests.  From what I've read,  the rapid antigen tests can be negative for vaccinated people who also have natural immunity and a strong immune systems.  The cold symptoms are our body doing its job to fight the virus, and it's doing such a good job that there is not enough of a viral load for an antigen test to detect.  I will not be unhappy if it is Omicron.  I'm OK with spending a few days with a cold to continue to build a stronger immune system.

China was referring to BA4 as the ghost variant because of the difficulty to test for it. 

[rudeney]

3 hours ago, jaygatsby27 said:

China was referring to BA4 as the ghost variant because of the difficulty to test for it. 

 

A friend called it "phantom COVID".  So now we have a disease that we can't easily detect, is about as bad as a common cold, but maybe more contagious.  I can live with that!

[jaygatsby27]

On 9/28/2022 at 4:29 PM, rudeney said:

 

A friend called it "phantom COVID".  So now we have a disease that we can't easily detect, is about as bad as a common cold, but maybe more contagious.  I can live with that!

I hope that is the case.  a few thousand Americans are still dying every week, that's over 100k a year.