Poor Communication and Treatment related to COVID+ Test on Alaska Cruise

[Jaws2]

Poor Communication and Treatment related to COVID+ Test on Alaska Cruise

 

I tested positive for COVID on the Majestic Princess June 28, 2022. We had been on a 6-day Princess tour to Denali followed by a cruise.  We boarded the ship June 25th. We had a very unpleasant cruise through unnecessarily poor COVID handling of by the ship’s administrative department. Princess did a fantastic job of most everything up until the first positive test.  Some of what transpired after that was atrocious.

 

Here’s a summary of the details.  (Skip to the bottom for a summary of what was learned from the experience):

 

• June 28th I tested positive for COVID (Day 3 of Cruise).  I was asked to quickly pack and move to the ship’s quarantine ward.

 

• On June 28th I requested to disembark in Juneau the following day, which the ship said I could do. I found a hotel who would take me and made flight changes for departing after a 5 day quarantine. The hotel’s deposit was non-refundable.

 

• Requested Paxlovid medication to reduce symptoms since I have a co-morbidity. (Alaska’s COVID hotline said the ship should provide it). Was told by the ship’s doctor the cost for Paxlovid was $700.  He said I could try to claim the charge with insurance when I got home.

 

• Told on morning of June 29th I could not disembark. The Administrative Officer said, “CBP (Customs and Border Protection) will not allow it.”

 

• Called CBP and I was told that I could disembark. They knew no reason why I could not. They said it was not uncommon for ship’s to blame them like this.

 

• Ship’s Admin Officer then accused my of “changing my story” because I was unsure if I spoke to a CBP officer or just a CBP clerk. He then added that the City of Juneau would not let me disembark.

 

• I immediately called CBP, the City of Juneau and the Cruise Line Agents of Alaska (the go-between for Ship to CPB) I spoke to to Robert B at the City, Jamie, a Juneau CBP agent and Jeana with the Cruise Line Agents of Alaska. No one could back up the Admin Officer’s claim that I could not disembark. I then told the ship’s Admin Officer I wanted off the ship and provided him the names of everyone I spoke to.

 

• The ship then demanded of my wife (unbeknownst to me until she called) that we immediately pay a fine of $873 dollars. I verified that there is a US law (the Jones Act) that makes foreign registered ships pay $762 if a passenger travels from one US City to another without touching a foreign port. But the ship added another $111 to the charge, which was outrageous given the circumstances.  We’ve requested a refund of the $111.

 

• Ultimately I was trying to avoid a mandatory 10 day quarantine imposed on arrival by the Canadians.  Subsequently my wife (who stayed on the ship with our family) contracted COVID.  She was driven to Seattle by the ship, an option given to several passengers but NEVER once mentioned to me. Had it been offered, I would never have disembarked.

 

• The Canadians will allow you to travel by private vehicle out of Canada during the imposed 10-day quarantine.  This is nearly impossible since there are no rental cars.  The ship (to their credit) arranged a transfer by accepted transportation for my wife and others.

 

What I learned. The ship had very many quarantined passengers, some for the majority of the cruise.  They have NO transparency on how many. The rate could be quite high. On whole side of the ship on the deck I was quarantined on was block off with quarantine rooms. This was only mid-week.

 

Avoid ending a cruise in Canada, to avoid possibly getting a 10-day quarantine. If you are positive and in Canada, ask the ship to provide transport to Seattle as soon as you test positive. Quarantine in the US is recommended at 5 days after any fever or severe symptoms. It’s a self imposed quarantine. If you book travel and hotels through Princess, they pay for quarantine.  If you book your own travel, they say they will consider paying expenses.

 

Princess claims they required masks on all Alaska cruise ships and tours.  About 50-60% of our ship’s passengers wore masks but almost no-one wore them on the land tour, which was not in compliance with Princess policy during the time of our cruise.  We wore them but that did not protect us.  COVID rates are reportedly high in Alaska and it’s likely you will be exposed on the land tour or the ship, since the ship is carrying many who were on the land tour you’re essentially traveling at-risk, especially given the high transmission rates of BA-5.

 

We’d had a family cruise to Alaska about 10 years ago and it was wonderful.  We tried to repeat the great trip but could not. Had I known before departing what I know now, I would have done things very differently.  I probably would have postponed the cruise. I would have asked for transport to Seattle.  Sadly, I learned not to trust what they say on the ship. They were wrong and obviously tried to protect their own interests in their communication and actions.  This is what was most aggravating.

 

I have reached out to Princess but so far they have not responded by my request for expenses in my Juneau quarantine, my wife’s Seattle quarantine, cruise credit, the $111 Jones Act find surcharge and other expenses.

 

I’ll report back with how they handle this.

 

Princess Letter for COVID+ Passengers.pdf

[Triptkr]

Did you ask to get tested for COVID19 on the 28th or was Princess testing all passengers?

[JEH]

Wow what an unnerving  experience  you had. Thank you for sharing  it with us. It certainly is a Post all should read and take seriously .  Hope  you're  feeling better.

[LACruiser88]

So sorry to hear about your experience.  I tested positive on a b2b test in February and after spending a night in isolation prison, spent 5 days isolating in a Florida hotel.

 

Best of luck to you!  🙏

[voljeep]

5 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

and after spending a night in isolation prison,

huh, never pictured you as being a con 😉

[dog]

To OP- I see only one post of yours on cruise critic. If you had used this website prior to travel you would have noticed this advice from others.

Hope you get reimbursed through insurance or cruise line. And get well.

[Coral]

3 hours ago, Jaws2 said:

 

 

• The ship then demanded of my wife (unbeknownst to me until she called) that we immediately pay a fine of $873 dollars. I verified that there is a US law (the Jones Act) that makes foreign registered ships pay $762 if a passenger travels from one US City to another without touching a foreign port. But the ship added another $111 to the charge, which was outrageous given the circumstances.  We’ve requested a refund of the $111.

It is the Passenger Vessel Services Act.

[Jaws2]

17 hours ago, Triptkr said:

Did you ask to get tested for COVID19 on the 28th or was Princess testing all passengers?

I asked because I had tested myself and wanted to get the paxlovid.  They were not testing passengers unless they had been exposed (ie my wife).

Edited July 12, 2022 by Jaws2
Edit to add info to fully.answer question.

[Jaws2]

13 hours ago, Coral said:

It is the Passenger Vessel Services Act.

I thought it was called the Jones Act.  Either way, the fine is legit.  But putting a $111 surcharge on it was adding insult to injury under the circumstances.  That was really offensive.

[Honolulu Blue]

17 hours ago, Jaws2 said:

Poor Communication and Treatment related to COVID+ Test on Alaska Cruise

 

I tested positive for COVID on the Majestic Princess June 28, 2022. We had been on a 6-day Princess tour to Denali followed by a cruise.  We boarded the ship June 25th. We had a very unpleasant cruise through unnecessarily poor COVID handling of by the ship’s administrative department. Princess did a fantastic job of most everything up until the first positive test.  

Thank you for sharing your story.  I'm sorry you got infected and I'm sorry for the mess that followed.  Get well soon.

 

One question, if you're feeling up to it... did either you or your wife get the Paxlovid that was offered by Princess?  I'm most curious about this because there have been some discussions here about whether this medication is available on cruise ships.

[Jaws2]

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Thank you for sharing your story.  I'm sorry you got infected and I'm sorry for the mess that followed.  Get well soon.

 

One question, if you're feeling up to it... did either you or your wife get the Paxlovid that was offered by Princess?  I'm most curious about this because there have been some discussions here about whether this medication is available on cruise ships.

No, we did not.  After talking to the doc he recommended against it but said if I wanted it, he would provide it for the $700.  I told him I'd check with my insurance.  My symptoms were so mild I decided to just forget it.

 

I think I mentioned I spoke to an Alaska COVID hotline (sorry but I don't have the number and am not exactly sure who it was now -- I was making lots and lots of calls).  They were helping me find some in our port stop.  On a subsequent call I mentioned cruise ship and the person on the line said the ship should have it.  But according to the ship's Doctor, it was available on-board.

[Honolulu Blue]

2 minutes ago, Jaws2 said:

No, we did not.  After talking to the doc he recommended against it but said if I wanted it, he would provide it for the $700.  I told him I'd check with my insurance.  My symptoms were so mild I decided to just forget it.

 

I think I mentioned I spoke to an Alaska COVID hotline (sorry but I don't have the number and am not exactly sure who it was now -- I was making lots and lots of calls).  They were helping me find some in our port stop.  On a subsequent call I mentioned cruise ship and the person on the line said the ship should have it.  But according to the ship's Doctor, it was available on-board.

 

Very helpful, thanks. 👍

[wblotner66]

I was scheduled to be on Majestic July 9th but also caught Covid on the land portion. It is a joke - nobody wears masks and worse they don’t even mention when on the busses/tours please wear a mask for the safety of everyone. A simple statement I believe may have had some people other than us put on a mask.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Oh dear; that’s awful. The fine is unfortunately legit, since you hadn’t been to the foreign port yet. There was an article here in AK recently about Denali being high for community transmission now, and masks are required in the park. I’m sorry you missed out on a wonderful cruise and hope you can take a healthy one when you’re well! 

[jinpasco]

Anyone have information as to what hotel is used in Anchorage for quarantine? Reading all these recent posts from cruisers is making me scared for our Sept cruise. I certainly won't sleep prior to testing day . 

[milolii]

20 hours ago, dog said:

To OP- I see only one post of yours on cruise critic. If you had used this website prior to travel you would have noticed this advice from others.

Hope you get reimbursed through insurance or cruise line. And get well.

Don’t know the OP’s total history but it does look like the OP joined Cruise Crtic almost 12 years ago. 

[Hazelnut1106]

58 minutes ago, jinpasco said:

Anyone have information as to what hotel is used in Anchorage for quarantine? Reading all these recent posts from cruisers is making me scared for our Sept cruise. I certainly won't sleep prior to testing day . 

On June 29 they were using the Aptel Studio Hotel in Anchorage.

[wblotner66]

1 hour ago, jinpasco said:

Anyone have information as to what hotel is used in Anchorage for quarantine? Reading all these recent posts from cruisers is making me scared for our Sept cruise. I certainly won't sleep prior to testing day . 

They used Voyager Inn for our bus load.

[broker1217]

I was on the same cruise and was appalled at passenger behavior.

I have no idea how many people were infected, but my take on it was that folks simply did not test if they had symptoms. 

 

The transfers for the land portion were a joke. Jammed on busses and trains and maybe 20% of people wearing masks. One of our coach drivers was maskless, coughing and complaining of a sore throat.

 

 

When we arrived at the pier, a Princess person came on the bus to tell everyone to put on a mask. Then we boarded and were in an elevator with people with no masks. We wore masks the entire cruise, avoided theater and casino and any group setting. We ate indoors only 4 times. Wore KN95's on all busses, planes and trains.

 

The amount of coughing at disembarkation was truly disgusting--and those coughing had to know they had COVID and STILL had no masks. Just simply did not care about spraying their droplets.

We tested positive the day after we got home. I would guess it was one of the coach rides or the dinner in the MDR or Bistro Sur La Mer---both were elbow to elbow. We should have walked out when we saw the seating.

 

If I knew then what I know now--I would have cancelled. Really a C-  bunch of fellow passengers.

[Coral]

On 7/11/2022 at 7:07 PM, dog said:

To OP- I see only one post of yours on cruise critic. If you had used this website prior to travel you would have noticed this advice from others.

Hope you get reimbursed through insurance or cruise line. And get well.

At some point, a bunch of posts were wiped out when they did a website upgrade. He has been a member since 2010.

[Coral]

11 hours ago, Jaws2 said:

I thought it was called the Jones Act.  Either way, the fine is legit.  But putting a $111 surcharge on it was adding insult to injury under the circumstances.  That was really offensive.

I agree.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I think I’ve seen this episode before. 😆

 

OP, I went through another version on this on a cruise to Hawaii when my husband tested positive, went to Ruby Princess mail and wanted me off the ship. I paid $873 plus $1600 for a flight home. I was only able to disembark because I tested negative the morning we arrived in Honolulu. They were adamant that my husband could not disembark. It was enough to sour me on Princess for quite a while.  I’m sorry you’ve experienced something similar. 

[dog]

5 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I think I’ve seen this episode before. 😆

 

OP, I went through another version on this on a cruise to Hawaii when my husband tested positive, went to Ruby Princess mail and wanted me off the ship. I paid $873 plus $1600 for a flight home. I was only able to disembark because I tested negative the morning we arrived in Honolulu. They were adamant that my husband could not disembark. It was enough to sour me on Princess for quite a while.  I’m sorry you’ve experienced something similar. 

and armadillo’s thread of same nature was posted  recently , as I learned so much from her posts, as many others did.

As a result of how she/ others were treated on the Ruby I modified my upcoming cruises.

 

Worth reading cc well before getting on a ship.

 

[dog]

13 hours ago, milolii said:

Don’t know the OP’s total history but it does look like the OP joined Cruise Crtic almost 12 years ago. 

 

8 hours ago, Coral said:

At some point, a bunch of posts were wiped out when they did a website upgrade. He has been a member since 2010.

Okay thanks you two!

 

He has 8 posts showing. Irrelevant when he joined.

 

As armadillo pointed out above Recent threads have given an insight on what to expect if put in her situation.

 

Helps to read up before getting in the ship, for future reference.

 

[SargassoPirate]

The OP stated he had only mild symptoms and yet was treated like Typhoid Mary.

 

With the vaccines and therapeutics available, it's high time for the cruise lines to focus on actual illnesses and not positive tests of people who are not sick.