Update from Royal Caribbean dated Saturday, February 8, 1:00 pm: “We received an update from the CDC. Unfortunately, due to the volume of tests they are conducting for Coronavirus, they will need the next 24-48 hours to complete the test. Given this new news, we are going to push the departure date to Monday in order to have conclusive results before sailing. We will set sail from Cape Liberty, New Jersey on Monday, February 10th. We’re currently finalizing our itinerary and compensation details and will share the details with you at 2:00 PM EST. We are trying our best to still make this a great experience for you.
As we advised, if you no longer want to sail, we completely understand, you’ll receive a full refund. You do not need to do anything to cancel, no need to call or contact us for this, as we want to make it as easy for you as possible. If you do not show up to the pier on Monday, we will understand that you decided not join us and we will automatically process your refund. You should see it on your account 3-5 days after our updated departure.
Once you receive the final itinerary and if you decide to sail and you’re local, we ask that you please stay at home and make your way to the cruise terminal on Monday. If you flew in, we’ll assist you with hotel accommodations up to $200 USD per stateroom. If you decide to cancel, and flew in, we will assist you with air change fees to get you back home. We will cover $200 USD per person for domestic flights or $400 USD per person for international flights. Please send your receipts to [email protected] for reimbursement.
We will continue to provide updates every hour. We greatly appreciate your patience and apologize for this situation.”
Original Article: Royal Caribbean has delayed the departure of one of their cruise ships from New Jersey as an abundance of caution over coronavirus concerns.
Today’s sailing on Anthem of the Seas will now depart tomorrow. The cruise line said that four guests were tested for coronavirus by the CDC and while they did not show signs of the symptoms of coronavirus, one did test positive for Influenza A (common flu).
Royal Caribbean posted the following statement about the cruise ship’s delayed departure:
“We appreciate the CDC’s abundance of caution and their partnership. We understand CDC intends to test samples from four guests for coronavirus. None of the four guests showed any clinical signs or symptoms of coronavirus while they were onboard our ship. One had tested positive onboard for Influenza A. Our records indicate the guests had not been in China since January 26 — 14 days ago.
All other guests have been permitted to disembark as usual. We have also been cleared by authorities to depart on our next cruise as usual. However, to reassure concerned guests, we will delay our departure until tomorrow, when we expect to receive conclusive test results from CDC.”
Anthem of the Seas was scheduled for an eight night cruise to the Bahamas and Florida from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in New Jersey. The ship will now sail a seven day cruise with port stops in Port Canaveral, Nassau, and the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas, CocoCay.
Guests will receive a one day refund in the form of an onboard credit for the day missed, plus a pro-rated credit, if they pre-purchased any packages such as, beverage, internet, or dining. Both credits will be added to their Onboard Account and once they’re onboard, they can use these credits anywhere onboard.
