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While the cost of the test may be some small factor with this policy change, it is not reason for the change. Royal cannot afford for the skyrocketing number of positive test results to be their (cruise line) problem. They need neither the “head count” nor the costs associated with quarantine and repatriation. These are the costs and responsibilities that Royal is offloading. Whether that’s a moral or immoral decision, is certainly debatable. Since US citizens do not require a test to re-enter the US (for now, at least) there will no accounting for COVID carriers coming off the ship unless they have fallen ill and exhibit symptoms while on board. They are washing their hands.

So this I did not like at all. Leaving the ship today with my family and when they beeped my card they called security, wouldn't let me leave. My family was through so I asked for them to wait. I was told NOTHING and the three of us were walked to an area outside the ropes and made to stand there, another officer came and asked to see my passport, then took it from me....What??? Mr. Cabash was like what did you do? 20 minutes no one tells us anything, then an officer escorts us off the ship straight to customs, we were literally perp walked in front of everyone still not knowing anything. The officer and the customs officer have a secret conference asking about my charges, really you couldn't advise me that this was an issue? They asked about over 7,000 worth of charges they want me to pay duty on, really? My invoice that I had in my purse was for 3, 700 or so our allowance was 2400 but the ring was 2000 at effy where there is no duty. Still holding my passport now they want all of ours, digging through purse wallet we showed our support docs, took all our passports and then gave the back. Royal partnered with customs and seriously handled this WRONG. I knew nothing, they wouldn't return my passport my daughter was scared out if her mind. Me I was just shocked after this sailing feeling pretty positive they pulled this. I will never sail a Xmas cruise again! I mean it worked out fine but it was handled WRONG! Some communication would have went a long way Royal, I know you read these!!!! My Xmas cruise luck is 0

Cruising during the restart won't be for everyone. This policy change is a serious downer for any foreign (non-US) cruiser leaving from a US port but it is exactly the kind of last minute policy change that can occur during the restart. For me the clear solution is to request a refund and accept no other outcome. Many of us have stories to tell of something that didn't go our way because of the pandemic both on sea and on land well apart from cruising. At the end of the day the virus is to blame for so much impact in so many ways. Sorry the latest variant and reactions from governments around the world has impacted your cruise but sadly that is life during a pandemic. Take the money and try again, or not, when you are more comfortable and hopefully we are all dealing with less impact.

My son and I were on this cruise. Once we got over the disappointment of not getting to go to Curacao or Aruba, we still had an awesome time. The weather was gorgeous (we're from CT, so spending Dec in 80 degrees was heaven) and CocoCay was fun. The compensation they offered really did make up for it. We were concerned about the growing Covid cases onboard, of course, but since most were the entertainment crew members, we hoped it wouldn't spread too rapidly among the guests. I have since read that testing/quarantining among affected guests wasn't so efficient, so they really need to do a better job when it comes to that. Overall, it was a great Christmas cruise, especially for the price. My feeling is, if we'd vacationed anywhere else, we would've been in the vicinity of just as many Covid-positive people, the only difference is we wouldn't have been aware of it. So it's a matter of not going on a trip at all or knowing the risk. This was our first vacation since before Covid and I was tired of trying to wait it out. I'm glad we went.

@twangsterI appreciate your response, allowed me to see the big picture.....and you made me laugh, loudly. Thank you sir!

It is kind of funny that the supposed epicenter of omicron, South Africa, is stopping all contact tracing and quarantines and just focusing on symptomatic people because of how mild omicron has been there.

While Royal did the dirty work, CBP was most likely the source to point the finger at. Royal submitted the manifest sent to CBP for clearance in the days leading up to departure CBP likely informed the ship "seize XYZ and present to CBP in person" without a clear definition of why they were requiring Royal to seize you. CBP may have taken several hours to inform Royal you were a person of interest. Royal doesn't why you are a person of interest. At that point Royal doesn't know if you are an international drug lord, a known drug mule or some other dastardly criminal, they simply know that CBP instructed them to collect you and do not let you pass Go. For all they know you are an axe murderer wanted in 14 countries. Interestingly if you heard the new of three people from The Villages arrested for voter fraud, one of them was "caught" at Port Canaveral getting off a Royal ship. I imagine a similar process took place. Upon attempting to debark they mostly heard that tone when their seapass card was scanned. "You're coming with us" without Royal being in a position to articulate why. CBP wants to make sure certain individuals are presented to them in person. If another person dings like you when debarking they literally could be wanted by interpol overseas.

The real crime is the private testing places that are charging such insane rates. Anywhere that takes insurance, testing is typically free, but these for-profit sites know they have a captive audience that need tests quickly, and so they've set their rates way higher than I personally feel is fair. Also, to whoever suggested that legal fees would be less than the $840... you clearly don't use lawyers much, do you?

I was recently able to get cash refunds for 8 cruises that I cancelled due to COVID protocols. Some were original bookings and at least 1 was a L&S from last year. I was fortunate to have a very good TA handle all of these refunds so I have no real advice on what to say or who to talk to. I just know that it can be done.

I just sailed 12/19-12/26 and we pulled into all of our scheduled ports. COVID-19 protocols were transparent and enforced. I felt safe and communication was reliable and made for an enjoyable experience.

We had the identical tub in 12648 (2BR GS) on Oasis - We really enjoyed it but as you have both pointed out, it is basically a VERY large jacuzzi bath tub. You fill it with normal water (no chlorine or salt water) from a normal spigot - it takes close to an hour at least to fill. I did the same as your husband and over did it with the hot water - it was way too hot. I had to drain it down and then add some cold to get it right (took another half hour). I'm guessing that your attendant did drain it as I don't think it would have fully drained with the stopper in during your dinner. Our attendant definitely cleaned ours regularly as we did use it a few times. I found no information before my cruise on these Jacuzzi's as they are pretty rare, even in suites, so this will hopefully be helpful for future guests.

Thoughts on Grand Panoramic Suite We loved many aspects of the room; the decor is beautiful, it is one level and we loved the close access to CK. There are definitely some privacy issues; the biggest in the master bath and bedroom area but we knew that going in The biggest ah ha moment was when I learned that the master bedroom windows are not one way; people can see you! You need to remember to put up the privacy shades. We weren’t fond of the frosted glass door to the master bedroom or master toilet area. If you don’t go to bed at the same time the light from one area affects people trying to sleep in the other area. Plus the wall separating the living area and master bedroom does not go to the ceiling, so noise from the TV may be an issue if you have staggered bed times. None of these things would stop us from booking this room again; in fact both Lindsay and Reyd loved the room.

Sad that RCI is not honoring their original agreement. My suggestion, get an attorney to write RCI a letter requesting to be fairly compensated. I doubt the attorney fees would cost anywhere near the $840 cost for testing.

Thanks for this and for sharing your cruise experience @Neesa. I started reading because I will be on Odyssey in May so any title with that word in it immediately draws my attention. However, in the midst of this week's mayhem on board the ship, your report is one of the few that I've stuck with to the end and that's because you've been so matter-of-fact about everything. It's been very interesting and I'm really glad you were able to make the best of a bad job.

Make sure you are comparing NRD with NRD, for example.

We just got off the Odyssey with the missed ports. I do not think Royal knew that Curacao was going to cancel our visit. We were docked waiting for local authorities to clear our disembarkation. They announced over PA that island Health Minister was coming to the port to review our situation after their Prime Minister gave local address. Even at that point, there were excursion buses waiting at the port when we arrived, but as time went on, they were sent away and the port was cancelled. Aruba followed suit shortly afterwards. During the 'chat with the captain' in 270, he mentioned that they looked at other possible stops as alternatives, including Labadee or another stop at Cococay. There were already two ships at Cococay and they considered relocating one out or tendering us, but ultimately decided it would not work. With the cancelled ports, Royal reimbursed some port charges as well as giving us refundable OBC for the two days cruise fare. We also got 50% Future cruise credit. I think they were very generous in this case, but I would not bank on the same for future cruises. If Royal Caribbean decides to change the itinerary ahead of boarding, you will definitely know. Changes made on the fly, (like ours) are the risk we take, but RCL was very accommodating. Even if they plan to go to Curacao and Aruba, I would bet that Royal would have some contingency plans in place for your trip for other stops and you would not have six days straight at sea. In the end, Odyssey is a great ship and being onboard for 6 days at sea was not bad at all.

Crew are tested regularly, and probably most of the positive cases are identified that way. If a passenger feels ill, they are to call the medical unit on board and they will be scheduled to go down to the medical facility to test. If positive, they would only test people with whom that person has had close contact. "All" of the positive covid tests have equaled about 1% or less of the ships total population (crew and passengers). As usual, the cruise lines are being held to a standard that is not recognized on land.

I think I mentioned that my plastic face mask was permitted onboard. I usually wore it; sometimes my N95 depending on the situation and my perceived level of risk. Not looking for opinions on the effectiveness of various masks; posting to inform readers that this is a permitted mask onboard Oasis.

We have been in that situation before, disembarking and we were told that we would need to wait. Immediately there was a nice lady at our elbow escorting us off the ship bypassing all the lines with folks giving us dirty looks as to why we were special until she opened the door to CBP. We had no clue as to what was going on and we saw another couple frantically searching through their luggage. The lady asked us if we had our EFFY receipts and if so have them ready. My wife organizes all the receipts on our cruises and has them in her backpack and quickly pulled them out. The CBP officer then asked us if we had the jewelry receipts from the ship and my wife showed him the turquoise envelopes. He just glanced at them and sent us on our way. The lady from Royal told us they turn in the large purchases from the ship and CBP decides on who to check and informs them to send those chosen directly to them. Everyone was nice and the best part was we bypassed all the lines to get off.

Here's the end result of this thread https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/12/27/glad-we-decided-stay-cruise-says-passenger-royal-caribbean-ship-week?fbclid=IwAR3ER9nl5-__vckdxsDVH3QyKm5FEKn5l51s2fpWIEIXmwFdL9pA7kOCZJ4

You should be able to cancel within 48 hours of the sailing under the Cruise With Confidence program and receive an FCC. If a port is missed, port taxes and fees are refunded. They may inform of port changes prior to sailing, however sometimes they do not know until they dock (as happened last week). Beyond refunding port taxes and fees, they do not own passengers any reimbursement (although sometimes they do, but they aren't required to, per the contract we sign when we book the cruise). I'm sailing Odyssey on Jan 29. We're totally ok with any port changes. We'd like to go to Aruba and Curacao, but we're also happy just to be away from work and the Minnesota winter.

I have no proof but feel strongly this is behind the policy change. Last week a Canadian on Symphony went for their routine PCR test to fly home. Stop the truck, positive result, asymptomatic. From their accounting Royal was great to work with but in the end it likely cost Royal over $20k to manage. Royal likely spent hours negotiating with the Canadian government over repatriation. It simply doesn't make business sense to continue on that basis. They'll go bankrupt doing that for any sort of number of Canadians. Omicron is too easily spread despite what appears to be mild outcomes. For a business they simply can not afford multiple $20k+ expenses every week.

To update; I called and they are issuing a refund due to it being an old lift and shift and new covid protocols. Now the waiting for it to hit my credit card. There was no penalty since it was outside of final payment when I did the lift and shift originally.

In all honesty I am a little tired of people that behave in such an entitled manner. Sue!? Really? There would be no legal grounds for a lawsuit. Getting a free PCR test was a perk and a privilege. The cruise contract states, polices, port etc. can change at will. There was no bait and switch.

@MattHappy Birthday!!

This is a first for us as well! Looking forward to it! Everyone on here has been so helpful in expanding my knowledge on Star Class. @WAAAYTOOO, @Jax and @Lovetocruise2002 are among the great Star Class resources if you have any specific questions. Excited to meet you on board!

Yes! Please combat this bad press! Odyssey of the Seas 12/18/21 Captain was always communicating, every day. Felt well cared for and safe. Security mingling through out in addition to staff gently reinforcing proper mask wearing to make sure that protocol was followed. Please see my reports on my Odyssey sailing and use what you need. I did feel safe, while I wasn't surprised our ports were canceled it was probably best. The island numbers were climbing and we would be blamed for the virus spread. This way Royal couldn't be the scapegoat once again. Instead of concentrating on the 1.9 % positives how about the rest of us sailing healthy and happy being mindful of our behaviors. Celebrate and speak to that! Denise oh, and thanks for doing this. All I thought when I read the reports was this isn't fair reporting.

Our 24 yr old daughter lost her passport during a trip to multiple countries. She had a photo on her phone and, at our insistence, a paper copy as well. She also had a paper copy of the addresses of all the embassies in the countries she was visiting. She was able to direct the cab to the embassy because she had the address. When she got to the American Embassy, she had to leave her phone outside the area. Without her paper copy, she would have had a much tougher time of it. With the paper copy, she was able to get a replacement in about 30 minutes and be out the door to catch her next flight. That’s why you should always have a paper copy on hand. Added bonus- she never questions her travel savvy parents’ advice anymore.

The second they hear she’s not upset, they’ll stop the interview

Currently on Allure. Masking everywhere and at all time indoors. Not awful, yes that KN95 does get warm and a little uncomfortable during shows, but it is tolerable. Notice a lot even masking while walking through Central Park, on pool deck and solarium until they get into a seat. Yes few blatantly tried g to get around policy, just not many. No they are not asking to to mask up between sips or bites, generally when seated with drink or food mask off. Surprised by the number of vaccinated children 5-11 years old. Really surprised. Passenger counts. 3250 total. 2000+crew. 147 D+ 19 Pins. Original passenger count was supposed to be 4500 almost 1000 cancellations last minute, info from Loyalty Ambassador but I could also have numbers off by a little but generally what I thought it should be. Except I'm surprised at the high number of cancellations. Yes hot tubs not in Solarium are all kids, but that was my expectation. Windjammer open for dinner, during busy breakfast lunch some lines,b ut it looks like they move quickly. Can't speak to MDR as not eating there So far still glad we decided to stay on this cruise Btw. MERRY CHRISTMAS

Effy has been a long time personal favourite of mine and I have never purchased a piece on the ships (even when they were there). Their pieces are always cheaper on the islands. Cozumel is my favourite place to purchase Effy (you get back the tax) followed by St. Maarten & St. Kitts (they are both willing to deal ).

Effy is a brand of jewelry. My personal favourite! I was just surprised by @Neesa's post because I thought that Royal discontinued their partnership with Effy a few years ago and no longer sold their pieces on board. I did not see it on SY pre-covid or on Allure last week.

Well, I called back and the second person was able to explain the discrepancy. I had not taken into account that we had pre-paid gratuities and that is what was making the price I paid more. I feel better knowing that I wasn't going crazy and/or seeing something on my computer that the representative couldn't see.

Flight Delay We have been notified of a slight weather related flight delay but the good news is our direct flight has left YYC and is heading to MCO. Our expected departure time is now 19:00. So what does one do while waiting for their flight?

I am reminded of my first cruise. I was disappointed on day 1 and 5 because I didn't know what to expect. As we return to cruising we may revisit our early days, albeit with greater wisdom. I plan to focus on what I can do and enjoy, not on what I can't. I see it as a metaphor to aging.

Not sure how its worked out But one thing im sure of is that if you get 1 missed port at start of cruise you're just going to be thinking about what refund you get if another port is missed rest of cruise, is it really worth worrying about?

Latest: Today, we are reaching out to advise of an important change to our debark testing for international guests. For sailings departing on or after January 5, 2022, all international guests who require a re-entry test to return home can do so at the terminal via our testing partner. This is a fast and convenient "swab & go" option, with both antigen and PCR available and test results in about 30-45 minutes. Guests sailing between January 5 - January 31, 2022: While we transition from onboard testing to our new terminal testing partner, we will cover the cost of this test for our international guests on sailings through January 31, 2022. Once guests debark, our testing vendor will be waiting to provide your clients with either a PCR or antigen test based on their home country’s testing requirement. They may also test at other locations outside the terminal, such as at the airport or a local pharmacy, although the arrangement and cost for tests outside the terminal will be the guest’s expense and responsibility. Guests sailing February 1, 2022 and beyond: Starting on February 1, 2022, guests who require a re-entry test to travel back home will be responsible for the cost of testing. The cost of testing in the terminal varies by port and test requested, starting at $105 for an antigen test and $210 for a PCR test. They may also take advantage of other testing options, like airport testing or testing at a local pharmacy. The arrangement and cost of these tests are the guest’s responsibility and should be paid directly to the test provider. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and look forward to having you onboard soon!

Incorrect. It was part of the service offered by RCL for international travelers. Of course they could stop this offer at anytime but for the clients that made their reservation based on the fact that this costly service will be provided for them, RCL should either offered compensation or full refund with no strings attached.

I thought it was odd that there was no opportunity to fill out a customs declaration form when debarking. With the facial recognition scan, you literally are not asked about anything you are bringing in - nor any mention about any duties that should be paid. I would think that if customs wanted to check you closer, it would happen at the facial recognition station.

We have never had any issues ordering drinks and giving them to someone else. You order the drinks, tell them you are using your Diamond allotment, and you can give them to anyone you want unless they are underage. Only restrictions are you have to order them and you only have 4 as Diamond or 5 as Diamond+ per day.

So far, on Oasis, yes. Everyone wearing masks where needed. Remember everyone, your crew’s livelihood depends on the ability to keep cruising. I hate wearing a mask more than most, but I will not complain once on this cruise.

The PCR test is something your home country is requiring, not Royal. The bottom line is that these post cruise tests are causing more problems than they are solving for Royal. You should be able to cancel and get a refund if you aren't happy with the change. Just insist on a refund instead of the FCC.

Yes, first reported here on December 20. Sorry that it's affecting you. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/12/20/royal-caribbean-will-stop-offering-onboard-covid-19-tests-international-passengers

Someone moved his towel off a pool chair that he didn't sit in all day.

Does anyone know what it is that made this Hospital Ship chasing lawyer to be so against the cruise industry? Did he have a stateroom attendant that didn't make him enough towel animals?

Have a great cruise, Tony! Also, why don't more people use the term "poppycock"? It amuses me!

I’m really happy that this may be nothing but poppycock. We are at the terminal now ready to board and it’s going to be a great cruise! Happy New Year!

Once again the media casts the dark cloud over the cruise industry & everything is completely blown out of proportion. I’m already getting the “Are you sure you should be cruising” and the “didn’t you see that the ships aren’t allowed to dock anywhere” usual crap from people who don’t cruise. Personally my family & I have been to every single one of these islands so many times that we cruise for the ship and not the destinations. I really don’t care if we get 6 sea days + perfect day because Oasis is enough for my family. The haters will do whatever they need to do to make the cruise industry a scapegoat for Covid, and that won’t ever change.

Before we headed to Johnny Rockets, a “snack” showed up: Now after JR, in a semi food coma, more “snacks” appeared: As you can see, we barely made a dent in the first snack delivery!