Tag Archives: Royal

Royal Caribbean Now Offering Crew Shore Leave in Caribbean Ports

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Royal Caribbean International is now offering shore leave in select Caribbean ports to the crew, according to a letter sent to crew onboard ships selected to trial the program.

According to the letter, the program will run from April 8 through April 22 on six ships, believed to be the Odyssey, Freedom, Harmony, Navigator, Liberty and Grandeur of the Seas.

The company will allow 150 crew to disembark in the ports, which for the crew aboard the Odyssey, for example, include Curacao, Aruba, Costa Maya and Cozumel.

Advanced sign up is required through a crew member’s manager.

Crew members must be up to date with vaccinations and a booster (if eligible), the company said. Masks are required while indoors or inside transportation and masks and crew members are recommended to follow social distancing guidelines.

The company said it will continue its bubble tours for the crew, which it is said to be offering globally.

A review of the crew shore leave trial program will be conducted later this month to “confirm continuity of the program in Caribbean Ports of Call.”

Royal Caribbean Details Low COVID-19 Case Numbers

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Independence of the Seas in Southampton

Independence of the Seas in Southampton, UK. Photo credit Spacejunkie2

Since restarting operations in 2020, Royal Caribbean Group has carried approximately 1.3 million guests, with about 2,500 guests testing positive for COVID-19, for a positivity rate of 0.19 per cent.

Those numbers were shared by President and CEO Jason Liberty on the company’s year-end and fourth-quarter earnings call on Friday.

“This positivity rate is still a small fraction of what it is in society at large, and nearly all cases onboard were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms,” Liberty said.

“Our rigorous health and safety protocols with 100% per cent vaccination rate among our crew and close to 100 per cent vaccination rate among our guests provide a safe environment where we can fulfil our mission of delivering amazing vacations. And our guests are responding by providing record Net Promoter Scores for us, exceeding their expectations,” he added.

Michael Bayley, president and CEO of the Royal Caribbean International brand, also said that while the Omicron variant did impact crew aboard, most crews had no symptoms.

“99 per cent of the crew positivity was asymptomatic and the 1 per cent was extremely mild symptoms. I mean, it really was remarkable in many ways. But the impact on the crew was effectively 0, except to take them out of operation for the period of their quarantine,” Bayley said.

Royal Caribbean Says 48 ‘Symphony of the Seas’ Passengers Test Positive for COVID-19

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Symphony of the Seas in San Juan Photo credit Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean Group said on Monday 48 people on its Symphony of the Seas cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19, fueling concerns that the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus could put a damper on a recovery in the cruise industry.

The cruise operator said it had 6,091 guests and crew members on board the ship, which ended a week-long cruise in Miami on Saturday after setting sail on Dec. 11.

The passengers who tested positive were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, Royal Caribbean said in a statement, adding that six guests were disembarked earlier in the cruise and transported home.

Royal Caribbean said 95% of the community on board were fully vaccinated, while 98% of those who tested positive were also fully vaccinated.

Symphony’s future itineraries are not impacted, it added.