How many cruisers are testing positive for COVID-19 on ships? Royal Caribbean's CEO breaks it down
Yes, some cruisers are testing positive for COVID-19 on ships. But the numbers are quite small -- on average, just one or two passengers a week on vessels sailing with more than 1,000 people.
That's the word today from Michael Bayley, the CEO of Royal Caribbean, the world's largest cruise line.
In an extraordinarily candid Facebook post that addressed the current situation with COVID-19 on cruise vessels, Bayley said the line was seeing about one to two passengers test positive for the illness on a typical sailing.
Bayley noted that the positive cases are popping up on ships despite the fact that the line is requiring passengers ages 2 and older to be tested for COVID-19 in advance of boarding.
"How is that possible? Testing captures status at a point of time, and if the guest is incubating infection, then the [pre-cruise] test will miss it," Bayley noted.
Bayley said the passengers testing positive for COVID-19 on ships include passengers vaccinated for COVID-19. Such passengers typically are asymptomatic, he said.
Royal Caribbean is requiring passengers over the age of 12 on most sailings to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and Bayley said the line's ships have been sailing with 90% to 97% of passengers vaccinated for the illness.
"The overall majority of the unvaccinated guests are the kids not eligible for [the] vaccine," Bayley said.
All crew on Royal Caribbean ships are fully vaccinated. Bayley said some of them are testing positive for COVID-19, too, but very infrequently.
Bayley said the line typically records one or two positive cases among crew every week out of thousands of crew members on its ships.
Royal Caribbean currently is operating 12 of its 26 vessels as it slowly ramps up operations. Like all major cruise lines around the world, the line halted all departures in March 2020 after the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic and didn't restart operations for many months.
Related: The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean
Until recently, Royal Caribbean had been testing all crew for COVID-19 every two weeks. But the line just changed its testing cycle for crew members to once per week due to the spread of the delta variant.
Bayley said many of the positive cases among crew members are detected during the quarantine period they must undergo after they first join a ship for work duty.
He also noted that the required testing of passengers for COVID-19 that's taking place in advance of boarding is catching anywhere from two to 10 positive cases a week. That's out of many thousands of passengers boarding the line's dozen active ships.
Related: The 6 classes of Royal Caribbean ships, explained
Passengers who test positive for COVID-19 in advance of boarding are not allowed to board.
When passengers test positive for COVID-19 while on a ship, the line immediately quarantines them and tests everyone in their traveling party, Bayley said. The line also does contract tracing for the passenger and tests all other close contacts.
If any of these additional passengers test positive for COVID-19, they also are quarantined.
In most cases, passengers who test positive are transported home from the ship on a private jet organized by the line, Bayley added.
Bayley is the first cruise line CEO to offer such a detailed overview of how many passengers and crew are testing positive for COVID-19 on ships. Some other big cruise operators, including Carnival Cruise Line, have been far more cagey about how many passengers are testing positive for COVID-19 on vessels.
Bayley suggested that transparency on the issue of COVID-19 on cruise ships could only help get the word out that cruising right now is a safe form of travel.
"Maybe this is too much information," he said of his Facebook post. But "having a community of people vaccinated at 90% to 97%, with frequent testing for all, is literally one of the safest places on the planet."
Bayley said passenger satisfaction scores for the ships the line is operating were "super high."
Royal Caribbean accounts for nearly one out of every five cruises taken worldwide and is considered a bellwether for the industry. If the line is having success keeping COVID-19 at bay on ships, other brands that are taking similar preventative measures likely are, too.
In his Facebook post, Bayley also addressed a COVID-19-related issue that is making it hard for Canadians to sign up for cruises out of U.S. ports right now.
In Canada, it has been common for citizens to get "mixed" vaccine doses -- that is, a Canadian might be given a combination of a Pfizer vaccine dose and a Moderna vaccine dose to become fully vaccinated. Canadian health officials have deemed such mixing of vaccine brands safe and effective. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is not allowing people with mixed vaccine doses to cruise in U.S. waters right now. The result is that some Canadians are not being allowed to travel to cruise ships.
"There does continue to be many changes or points of confusion [concerning vaccine rules], such as Canadian mixed vaccines, which is perfectly acceptable in Canada yet not accepted by the CDC, and the home port [from which] we sail ... determines which authority decides," Bayley said. "However, we continue to work with multiple authorities to find safe solutions."
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.