So I tested positive for covid on Symphony

[cruisebot21]

I tested positive for covid on the Dec 18 Symphony sailing and RCCL was absolutely fantastic in the way they dealt with it.  Seriously the entire crew were great in a very difficult situation and the experience made me a customer for life.

 

This was the Dec 18, 5-night sailing and on day 3 I had a scheduled pcr test for my return flight to Canada.

 

An hour and a half after the test, we got a call to the cabin that I had tested positive and was being moved to a deck 3 isolation cabin.

 

The rest of the family was negative and could quarantine in our current cabin with a follow up pcr test scheduled for 24hrs later.

 

I was given 1/2 hr to pack what I needed for the new cabin and was told ship security would escort me down to my new digs.

 

pt2 to follow 😉

[orville99]

Hopefully your symptoms are mild and you recover quickly.

[barbeyg]

Hopefully, your case is mild like so many.  Thank you for sharing. I look forward to the rest. 🙂

[cruisebot21]

Thanks - yes, I’m experiencing mild symptoms - mild fever, headache and light coughing 

[Jimbo]

Sounds like exciting times

[marktwothousand]

I’m a Canadian Waiting for your update about how you’re getting back to Canada. Keep us posted on how you’re doing and what they’re doing for you. 

[SE fla]

When will you be able to travel home? Cross boarders is an added problem?

Wish you and all involved will. 

[cruisebot21]

Pt2:

I quickly packed up my stuff for the new cabin and while waiting for security, divided up passports, flight docs, proof of vax certs, etc

 

The plan outlined by guest services was that I would isolate on deck 3 in an ocean view for the rest of the cruise and then be moved to a Miami hotel and continue to quarantine at their cost. After an undetermined quarantine period on shore, I would be flown home - again at their expense.

 

The family would stay quarantined in the original cabin until their next test.  If they came back negative, their quarantine would end and they could travel home as originally planned or join me  at the hotel and travel later.

 

During isolation for me and quarantine for the family, both cabins would provided with free streaming wifi, free movies, and free room service.

 

As we were trying to process all that, security showed up and I was off!

 

Two friendly staff members showed up in tyvek suits and respirators and escorted me down the hall to a staff elevator.  During the move, the corridor was closed off to other traffic and a  staff member fogged  disinfectant behind me.

 

Minutes later I was in my ocean view stateroom.  It was a standard passenger room with the same bed, furniture, bathroom found in our other cabin - not a stripped down ‘cell’ by any means.  Also laid out were biohazard bags for trash, toiletries kit in case I forgot anything, and various cleaning and sanitizing products.

 

I made a call to room service for supper and settled in to process everything.

 

Everyone I interacted with was great. Under very difficult circumstances, they were kind, compassionate and professional - I couldn’t ask for anything more.  Well, maybe less covid!

[livingonthebeach]

Are you still on the ship?  How long do you have to quarantine?  

[smokeybandit]

Despite a few media-hungry stories about quarantine, what RC is doing for people is really amazing.

 

Your experience as a Canadian will be valuable for other Canadians wondering how it'll really work to get home.

[cruisegirl1]

Thank you for your assessment. It seems like you are making the best of it and RCCL is helpful. 

 

Interesting though, if you were US and not tested you (or the cruise line) would never know you were positive. 
 

Best wishes for a little or no symptoms and a full and speedy recovery. 
 

m

 

 

Edited December 24, 2021 by cruisegirl1

[flamingos]

Thanks for your report.  I hope your family remains healthy!

[edrussell]

Thanks for posting 'just the facts' about this situation.  You appear incredibly level headed and are dealing with this better than most.  I realize this is a question there is likely no answer to, but do you have any idea or indication of where you came into contact with Covid?  Just thinking out loud really.  All the best to you and hopefully the family will test negative.  Please do continue to keep us updated on the process.  Cheers!

[Maitaivegas]

I am so sorry to hear you are sick and you lost 2 days of your trip.

I hope you get well soon.

 

 

[Maitaivegas]

So what protocols are they doing for everyone on the Symphony?

 

Are they telling the anti maskers to pull up their masks over their noses?

 

Is there still people crammed together in lines?

[cruisebot21]

Pt3:

I’ll try to answer some of questions above in this update 🙂

 

In light of me being Cdn vs US, would I have been tested anyway? Probably yes.  I started to have light cold symptoms early afternoon and if I didn’t already have a scheduled test in a few hours, would have called medical.  To be honest, I felt like I had a bit of heat exhaustion from the really hot / humid weather the day before.

 

The next morning in my new digs, I started to figure out the many moving parts of getting everyone home.

 It was really windy out and the ship couldn’t dock at CocoCay - after a long delay, we turned around and started the last leg to Miami

 

I’m sure guest services was swamped, but I had multiple calls throughout the day updating travel info / policy and what to expect, Doctor checking in, offers for room service and general wellness check-ins.  Everyone was courteous, listened to any concerns, and made it clear they had time to work with me.

I know that was clearly not the case as there were announcements requesting people to report to the conference centre (where testing took place) and there were reports on FB that corridors had been closed like when I was moved the day before.  

 

The plan:

We had flights booked to leave the morning of docking - clearly I wouldn’t be able to go.

It also wasn’t fair to put that on my wife to haul lots of luggage and 2 kids through an unfamiliar process of border crossing / immigration with continually changing protocols - not CBSA’s fault, but I didn’t want to send her into a situation where she may be delayed by long lines, miss a connection, require further testing, quarantine in Toronto, etc

 

It was going to be a really long day at the best of times, with arrival home being just after midnight.

 

We were planning on probably all of us quarantining in Miami in 2 rooms and once I was good, travel home together. We were going to have her work send her the required IT to maybe work down there for a week or two.

 

When we had booked, we specifically choose to go on this itinerary so we could be home and do our 14-day post travel quarantine over the holidays to minimize impact on jobs and school. 

We were reassured before we left that there was a repatriation policy that ensured we’d be immediately flown back if we tested positive.  In discussions with guest services, they mentioned that policy had changed the prior week - while we were on the Freedom of the Seas and that quarantine in Miami with later flights is the current solution. They said they’d see what they could do, but were not optimistic.

 

 

 

[D4]

Thanks for posting this.  You are very fortunate that your cruise wasn’t a few weeks later.

 

Starting January 5, 2022, RCL will no longer do testing on board for people that need proof to fly internationally.  
 

I live in the USA, but I think this is a terrible policy change.  RCL clearly doesn’t want to know about those infections.  They expect people to scramble to get tested before their flights.  And then if they find out they are positive, they’re already off the ship so RCL is no longer responsible for helping them.  I think RCL should continue doing that testing for people that booked their cruise under the current policy.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/when-to-take-a-test-if-traveling-to-us-from-another-country

[Ocean Boy]

I wonder if you were moved because the rest of your family was negative? If a couple were both positive could they stay in their balcony cabin or maybe they would be moved so staff could start cleaning the original cabin for the next week's guests.

[cruisebot21]

 

7 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I wonder if you were moved because the rest of your family was negative? If a couple were both positive could they stay in their balcony cabin or maybe they would be moved so staff could start cleaning the original cabin for the next week's guests.

No - Anyone positive was getting moved. They could only stay in the original cabin because they were negative.  If they wanted to, they could have moved with me to deck 3.

 

I know some are strategizing that they will spring for a balcony in the event of quarantine - too bad, you’re  going to a separate blocked off section of the ship if positive.  I’m sure some were upset, but it’s the best plan to reduce further spread.

Edited December 24, 2021 by cruisebot21
Continued bad spelling

[Jimbo]

9 minutes ago, cruisebot21 said:

Pt3:

 It was really windy out and the ship couldn’t dock at CocoCay - after a long delay, we turned around and started the last leg to Miami

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder just how hard they really tried to dock, my guess is they just wanted to get back to Miami as soon as possible and get people off the ship asap before more people became tested and were positive.

More people found out positive, more people they have to quarantine and find hotels and flights home at their(Royal's) expense

[Sunshine3601]

11 minutes ago, D4 said:

Thanks for posting this.  You are very fortunate that your cruise wasn’t a few weeks later.

 

Starting January 5, 2022, RCL will no longer do testing on board for people that need proof to fly internationally.  
 

I live in the USA, but I think this is a terrible policy change.  RCL clearly doesn’t want to know about those infections.  They expect people to scramble to get tested before their flights.  And then if they find out they are positive, they’re already off the ship so RCL is no longer responsible for helping them.  I think RCL should continue doing that testing for people that booked their cruise under the current policy.

 

This conversation is for another thread but If I fly to another country on vacation I am responsible for finding and paying for my own covid test.     Why should royal be responsible for testing anyone that needs a test to fly home?

If you go on a vacation, it is your choice.

 

[MD_Dan]

Cruisebot,

    So sorry you had to experience this first-hand.  And thank you for allowing us to share this experience with you. 

    You sound like a guy who sees the glass "half full" and not "haft empty".  I'm sure you are happy "the rest of your family" was not infected and are able to enjoy the ship in ways you can't.  I'm wondering how you spend you day in the ocean-view cabin.  What did you choose to bring (other than the essentials) to occupy you?  What do you wish you had brought?   Just curious.

[D4]

6 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

This conversation is for another thread but If I fly to another country on vacation I am responsible for finding and paying for my own covid test.     Why should royal be responsible for testing anyone that needs a test to fly home?

If you go on a vacation, it is your choice.

 

Because Royal published a policy stating they would do that testing near the end of the cruise for people that needed proof to fly home. 
 

Here is their policy.  The recently added the part about stopping these tests on 1/5/2022

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/when-to-take-a-test-if-traveling-to-us-from-another-country

Edited December 24, 2021 by D4

[Ocean Boy]

5 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

This conversation is for another thread but If I fly to another country on vacation I am responsible for finding and paying for my own covid test.     Why should royal be responsible for testing anyone that needs a test to fly home?

If you go on a vacation, it is your choice.

 

Maybe RCI doesn't want everyone canceling and then they are sailing fully crewed ships with no passengers

[orville99]

14 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I wonder just how hard they really tried to dock,

Our son and his family were on Mariner that was scheduled to dock at Coco Cay on the same day and they were unable to dock because of the high winds. It had nothing to do with what happened to the OP.