Jump to content

Two guests test positive on Adventure of Seas


Recommended Posts

15 minutes ago, joshgates said:

Looks like as a result of this any groups with unvaccinated guests can only do sponsored excursions, they're not allowed off ship into ports on their own.  Vaccinated parties are still able to explore freely.  Just notified everyone that it starts effective tomorrow's sailing.

UGG, that’s no fun. Hopefully there will be an exclusion for parents with children that are unable to get vaccination because of age. Royal Caribbean excursions aren’t exactly geared around young children for the most part. Here’s to hoping. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

UGG, that’s no fun. Hopefully there will be an exclusion for parents with children that are unable to get vaccination because of age. Royal Caribbean excursions aren’t exactly geared around young children for the most part. Here’s to hoping. 

It's specifically for parents who's children can't get a vaccine because of age, they're the only unvaccinated ones on the Adventure.  Likely the result of two of them testing positive yesterday so they're adding a layer of additional precaution. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, joshgates said:

hey're adding a layer of additional precaution. 

I was never able to find any confirmation of how the two teens were exposed. Anyone? 

That's important to assess how RCL manages mitigation measures going forward. I know there are established degrees of an outbreak on a ship and these various degrees dictate the response. I'd like to know what these are but only if RCL deemed it necessary for us to have that info. Clearly, at this point, they don't. Their position is we have enough to worry about; lets not add worry over COVID safety measures. Celebrity's CEO Lutoff-Perlo said as much in the interview I posted a ink to elsewhere. Flatly stated when asked, no, we're not emphasizing COVID safety measures in our marketing.

Based on the new RCL protocols (ship's tours only), one could surmise that they believe the teens were exposed off the ship and out on their own. The other possibility is that when they took the COVID test prior to boarding that they had been exposed enroute to the cruise from their home but had not yet mounted a detectable immune response. I can't offer an approach (I'll do some research) on how to know how and when a person was exposed but I feel strongly RCL knows with some certainty or they would not have prohibited non-ship excursions or debarking on your own. JMO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They would have had to pick it up in Cozumel, and that'd have been near record time to be testing positive after exposure, none the less having symptoms.

Seeking out zero covid is not going to go well for cruise lines.

 

They better not have limits anymore on adventure ocean or there are going to be a lot of pissed off parents on future cruises.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, JeffB said:

Based on the new RCL protocols (ship's tours only), one could surmise that they believe the teens were exposed off the ship and out on their own. The other possibility is that when they took the COVID test prior to boarding that they had been exposed enroute to the cruise from their home but had not yet mounted a detectable immune response. I can't offer an approach (I'll do some research) on how to know how and when a person was exposed but I feel strongly RCL knnows with some certainty or they would not have prohibited non-ship excursions or debarking on your own. JMO

As far as I know there's no way to accurately determine the time between exposure and measurable infection.  Admittedly it's been 20 years since I used my microbiology degree for anything and I've not kept up with anything since then, so there could well be.  I'd be interested in hearing what you find out though.

I'm not sure that they're confident that they caught it on an excursion, I do find it more likely that they got it enroute to Nassau and are just now testing positive for it.  Timeline for catching it on an excursion and testing positive is pretty tight.  Not impossible, but tight.

Actual text of it for people interested though:

Dear Guest,
We’ve been preparing for your sailing and now that we have had a couple of Adventure of the Seas sailings, we have an updated requirement to share with you.
In abundance of caution, when visiting ports other than Perfect Day at CocoCay, parties that include unvaccinated guests, including parents traveling with unvaccinated children, are required to participate in shore excursions offered by local tour operators approved by Royal Caribbean. These tours meet our health and safety requirements for unvaccinated guests. Entirely vaccinated traveling parties may visit the port freely. All guests are subject to restrictions and requirements as defined by local authorities in the ports we visit. Additional details will be provided onboard.
We are sorry for the last-minute change for unvaccinated guests and those traveling with them. The decision was made to protect you and the communities we visit. To help offset this change, on this sailing, shore excursions will be offered at a discounted rate for guests under 16. Once onboard, please visit the shore excursions desk on Deck 5 and our amazing team will help find the perfect excursion that will give you that adventure you’ve been looking for or the laidback vacation you’ve been dreaming about for over a year.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact us at 954-628-9290 or 1-800-256-6649. We will gladly answer your questions and work with you to reschedule or refund your cruise.
Click here if you would like to revisit all health requirements for your sailing.
We look forward to having you onboard for our Royal Comeback!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, joshgates said:

To help offset this change, on this sailing, shore excursions will be offered at a discounted rate for guests under 16.

Sorry but that's crap. The discounted rate should be for all in the party of someone under 16. Families that would have wanted to go on an RC excursion likely already had them booked. People that didn't aren't going to book one because their kids rate is a few dollars less.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Private medevac plane from Freeport to Fort Lauderdale.  This was their flight back, covered by royal.

 

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N60LJ/history/20210624/1942Z/MYGF/KFLL?fbclid=IwAR3MsmvBajpsCzH703ewPsc29ZQY7yR07XfvG2rvFQy5dBzYHToOpAaCf7E

Company that runs these jets:

https://www.jeticu.com/

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Atricks said:

Private medevac plane from Freeport to Fort Lauderdale.  This was their flight back, covered by royal.

 

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N60LJ/history/20210624/1942Z/MYGF/KFLL?fbclid=IwAR3MsmvBajpsCzH703ewPsc29ZQY7yR07XfvG2rvFQy5dBzYHToOpAaCf7E

Company that runs these jets:

https://www.jeticu.com/

 

 

 

 

Thanks for that info! I was wondering how a Covid-positive patient can board an aircraft. I was assuming it wasn’t commercial.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

That's pretty bush league and quite an overreaction. Not a chance those kids picked up covid on a shore excursion.

The truth that we all are dancing around is this every cruise leaving the US with the exception of Alaska cruises are all sailing to an international country.  Right now there are only a few Caribbean island nations that are still closed not only to cruise traffic but just about any tourist traffic. Most Caribbean island nations have reopened and all have testing requirements for arriving passengers who arrive by air they are required to present a negative test no more than 72 hours old and many nations will test the passenger again upon arrival at the airport. However many Caribbean Island nations have chosen to relax those rules or look the other way for cruise ships because they need the tourist dollars that cruise ships bring in.  We all know COVID is here to stay it is never going away, we also now know just how effective the vaccines are, in that a vaccinated individual can not spread the virus but also a vaccinated individual if they do get infected 99.999% of them are not facing hospitalization or worst. 

Here in the US people 12 years and older now have a choice they can choose to be vaccinated or they choose not get vaccinated.  However in most Caribbean island nations they still don't have that choice something one of my coworkers pointed out and he happens to be from Grenada, and I feel like that is an important thing to remember when we are talking about shore excursion and Caribbean Cruises.

If you are saying there is no chance these children picked up COVID on a shore excursion then what you are saying is they brought COVID onto the ship with them which in turn means they brought COVID onto every island if they disembarked the ship. If we all can't see the danger in that then Lord help us.  We are all so concerned about what happens on the cruise ship itself but I wonder how many of us have given one thought to the human beings on the islands that we will come into contact with.  Many of them right now do not have access to any vaccine so they don't have a choice vaccinated or unvaccinated but will welcome any and all cruise ship passengers with open arms because they need the tourist dollars.  Is Royal Caribbean really the bad guy for  saying unvaccinated passengers will no longer be able to go on third party excursions I don't think so.  The people in the Caribbean deserve a fighting chance they deserve to be able to make the same choice we all here in the United States now take for granted and a vacation shouldn't override that. Once the vaccines are available to any and all who wants one then I'm all for Royal dropping the requirement but until there is more vaccine in circulation/distribution in the Caribbean all cruise lines have a responsibility to help limit the amount of COVID being brought onto an island by unvaccinated individuals.  

I believe unvaccinated American's should be allowed to cruise and enjoy themselves on the ship without restrictions.  But until there is enough vaccine in circulation where every person who lives in the Caribbean has a choice (the same choice we now have in this country) then I think unvaccinated individuals should be restricted to cruise sponsored excursions where there is a bit more control and where the cruise can limit contact and possible exposure.   Last week on this site I posted the only Caribbean island nation that has nearly 70% of their population vaccinated are the Cayman Islands and to give themselves a chance they have banned cruise ships until some point in 2022.  The Cayman Islands are one of the wealthiest island nations in the Caribbean as are the British Virgin Islands, and the Turks and Caicos.  What I've noticed is the wealthier the island nation the higher their vaccination rates are and the more restrictions they have in place or are exploring putting in place for cruise ships. And while the Cayman Islands has decided to remain closed to all cruise ships the British Virgin Islands which has just reopened will only allow passengers who are fully vaccinated to disembark a cruise ship in port. The governor of the US Virgin Islands is imploring Governor DeSantis to reconsider his stance on vaccines and cruise ships not because the US Virgin Islands is concerned about what happens onboard the cruise ship, he is concerned about what unvaccinated passengers may be bringing onto the US Virgin Islands where there still isn't enough vaccine to meet demand.  The US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands are not alone in expressing their concern about unvaccinated passengers on disembarking cruise ships in port and left to just roam freely other island nations are concerned as well and we are starting to hear more about it as we inch closer to cruising resuming from Florida.

The cruise industry holds a lot of power within the Caribbean because they are an essential part of the life blood of the Caribbean.  Pre-pandemic more passengers arrived in the Caribbean by cruise ship than by airplane. But make no mistake these Caribbean Island nations that are opening their borders to cruise ships and their passengers are hoping and expecting both cruise lines and their passengers to do the right thing and protect these islands until there is enough vaccine where their citizens will then have the same opportunity to make the same choice any American over the age of 12 can now make.  In my opinion any American who chooses to cruise unvaccianted in July, August, September, October, even November should expect to run into some type of restrictions at the different ports of call within the Caribbean. Hopefully by December or January 2022 their will be enough vaccine in the Caribbean where these islands can begin to drop their concerns over unvaccinated cruise passengers.  Until then I think it is incredibly selfish for unvaccinated cruisers to think their third party shore excursion is more important than protecting people who don't yet have access to life saving vaccines.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, JasonOasis said:

The truth that we all are dancing around is this every cruise leaving the US with the exception of Alaska cruises are all sailing to an international country.  Right now there are only a few Caribbean island nations that are still closed not only to cruise traffic but just about any tourist traffic. Most Caribbean island nations have reopened and all have testing requirements for arriving passengers who arrive by air they are required to present a negative test no more than 72 hours old and many nations will test the passenger again upon arrival at the airport. However many Caribbean Island nations have chosen to relax those rules or look the other way for cruise ships because they need the tourist dollars that cruise ships bring in.  We all know COVID is here to stay it is never going away, we also now know just how effective the vaccines are, in that a vaccinated individual can not spread the virus but also a vaccinated individual if they do get infected 99.999% of them are not facing hospitalization or worst. 

Here in the US people 12 years and older now have a choice they can choose to be vaccinated or they choose not get vaccinated.  However in most Caribbean island nations they still don't have that choice something one of my coworkers pointed out and he happens to be from Grenada, and I feel like that is an important thing to remember when we are talking about shore excursion and Caribbean Cruises.

If you are saying there is no chance these children picked up COVID on a shore excursion then what you are saying is they brought COVID onto the ship with them which in turn means they brought COVID onto every island if they disembarked the ship. If we all can't see the danger in that then Lord help us.  We are all so concerned about what happens on the cruise ship itself but I wonder how many of us have given one thought to the human beings on the islands that we will come into contact with.  Many of them right now do not have access to any vaccine so they don't have a choice vaccinated or unvaccinated but will welcome any and all cruise ship passengers with open arms because they need the tourist dollars.  Is Royal Caribbean really the bad guy for  saying unvaccinated passengers will no longer be able to go on third party excursions I don't think so.  The people in the Caribbean deserve a fighting chance they deserve to be able to make the same choice we all here in the United States now take for granted and a vacation shouldn't override that. Once the vaccines are available to any and all who wants one then I'm all for Royal dropping the requirement but until there is more vaccine in circulation/distribution in the Caribbean all cruise lines have a responsibility to help limit the amount of COVID being brought onto an island by unvaccinated individuals.  

I believe unvaccinated American's should be allowed to cruise and enjoy themselves on the ship without restrictions.  But until there is enough vaccine in circulation where every person who lives in the Caribbean has a choice (the same choice we now have in this country) then I think unvaccinated individuals should be restricted to cruise sponsored excursions where there is a bit more control and where the cruise can limit contact and possible exposure.   Last week on this site I posted the only Caribbean island nation that has nearly 70% of their population vaccinated are the Cayman Islands and to give themselves a chance they have banned cruise ships until some point in 2022.  The Cayman Islands are one of the wealthiest island nations in the Caribbean as are the British Virgin Islands, and the Turks and Caicos.  What I've noticed is the wealthier the island nation the higher their vaccination rates are and the more restrictions they have in place or are exploring putting in place for cruise ships. And while the Cayman Islands has decided to remain closed to all cruise ships the British Virgin Islands which has just reopened will only allow passengers who are fully vaccinated to disembark a cruise ship in port. The governor of the US Virgin Islands is imploring Governor DeSantis to reconsider his stance on vaccines and cruise ships not because the US Virgin Islands is concerned about what happens onboard the cruise ship, he is concerned about what unvaccinated passengers may be bringing onto the US Virgin Islands where there still isn't enough vaccine to meet demand.  The US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands are not alone in expressing their concern about unvaccinated passengers on disembarking cruise ships in port and left to just roam freely other island nations are concerned as well and we are starting to hear more about it as we inch closer to cruising resuming from Florida.

The cruise industry holds a lot of power within the Caribbean because they are an essential part of the life blood of the Caribbean.  Pre-pandemic more passengers arrived in the Caribbean by cruise ship than by airplane. But make no mistake these Caribbean Island nations that are opening their borders to cruise ships and their passengers are hoping and expecting both cruise lines and their passengers to do the right thing and protect these islands until there is enough vaccine where their citizens will then have the same opportunity to make the same choice any American over the age of 12 can now make.  In my opinion any American who chooses to cruise unvaccianted in July, August, September, October, even November should expect to run into some type of restrictions at the different ports of call within the Caribbean. Hopefully by December or January 2022 their will be enough vaccine in the Caribbean where these islands can begin to drop their concerns over unvaccinated cruise passengers.  Until then I think it is incredibly selfish for unvaccinated cruisers to think their third party shore excursion is more important than protecting people who don't yet have access to life saving vaccines.

 

Lot to unpack here. But let’s start with the level of poverty on many of these islands and the economic effect that not having cruise ships in port for over a year. Many local businesses that relied on the cruise visitors have went under. It’s incredibly selfish to us to assume what the people living on these islands shouldn’t  be given a choice 

we aren’t talking Ebola here. Covid is a virus with a 99% survival rate. When you can’t provide for your family, is catching Covid at the top of your list of concerns? Poverty creates health issues that are far worse than Covid. 
 
that’s not to say that cruise passengers shouldn’t be responsible because they should. But is very presumptuous to deny islanders a right to decide about their livelihoods and means to provide for their families. 

just like in the US when low wage earners that didn’t have jobs where they work from home had to go to work to provide for their families in the middle of the pandemic.

not everything is about Covid no matter how overblown the media has made it to be 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

That's pretty bush league and quite an overreaction. Not a chance those kids picked up covid on a shore excursion.

Given the time it takes to go from exposure to infected, etc. I think its clearly not possible, but in the culture of fear ... who cares its a reaction.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

That's pretty bush league and quite an overreaction. Not a chance those kids picked up covid on a shore excursion.

A few scenarios come to mind.  
1. Could be for traceability.  In a Royal shore-ex bubble, identification of other passengers who have come in contact with an infected passenger can be determined, and further testing conducted (isolation until test is determined negative) . 
2.  Foreign ports of call may request a list of where infected passengers ventured ashore, and which locals did they encounter.   Royal would only have those details for a report if the passengers were in a Royal bubble. 
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/24/2021 at 8:20 PM, CruiseGus said:

Sorry if the data does not fit you paradigm, but this really tells me why all cruises should require vaccination.

Because even with the vaccination we will have breakthrough cases, but not at this level of risk.

I sincerely hope it is not serious for these 2 young men

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/06/24/royal-caribbeans-new-health-protocols-catch-two-positive-covid-19-cases-adventure-of-the

The odds are extraordinarily likely that it won't be serious for these two.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/25/2021 at 5:16 PM, joshgates said:

It's specifically for parents who's children can't get a vaccine because of age, they're the only unvaccinated ones on the Adventure.  Likely the result of two of them testing positive yesterday so they're adding a layer of additional precaution. 

From what I heard they were both 14, meaning they could have been vaccinated. It’s just not required by Royal until August 1 since the approval came pretty close to the June sailings. My 12 year old will be two weeks past full vaccination when we set sail this Saturday. 

On 6/25/2021 at 4:59 PM, joshgates said:

Looks like as a result of this any groups with unvaccinated guests can only do sponsored excursions, they're not allowed off ship into ports on their own.  Vaccinated parties are still able to explore freely.  Just notified everyone that it starts effective tomorrow's sailing.

I’m very frustrated with this right now as those of us on the July 3 sailing have received nothing to notify us of this change. I’ve reached out to Royal and can’t get a straight answer, still waiting for them to get back to me. I just need to know so I can plan accordingly and give the private companies I had booked the courtesy of a proper notice. Royal’s offerings are pretty slim so it’s certainly our preference to go third party if we can.

Anyone know more?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/26/2021 at 7:36 AM, jticarruthers said:

Given the time it takes to go from exposure to infected, etc. I think its clearly not possible, but in the culture of fear ... who cares its a reaction.

 

This is why I'd like us to stop celebrating it as a win that we sent two presumably healthy people home on special medevac flights. Celebrating a clear cut overreaction as a win is just something else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...