SINGAPORE: A Royal Caribbean cruise to nowhere was cut short on Wednesday (Dec 9) when it turned back ahead of schedule after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19.
Despite the disappointment at having their getaway cut short, some passengers told CNA that they do not regret going on the cruise and that the experience has not been them off future trips.
“This situation actually doesn’t hinder us because we were aware of the risks when we came on board,” said Mr Muhammad Rezal Ramli, who was on the cruise with his children.
He said the ship returned to Singapore on Thursday morning after the passenger tested positive, leaving them “one day short” of the scheduled duration of the cruise.
READ: Passenger on Royal Caribbean cruise tests positive for COVID-19, ship returns to Singapore
Mr Rezal told CNA in a live television interview that there were “quite a lot” of safety measures on board the vessel, such as temperature checks at certain activities and reminders for passengers to wear their masks.
“I believe they have put in quite a lot of measures, so much so that it’s a bit annoying for me as a user but of course they wanted to keep us safe.
"For example, there were very strict numbers on how many people are supposed to be in the pool. They were always asking us to tap our SeaPass so that they know our location, which room we entered and at what time,” he added.
When asked if he thought the cruise COVID-19 protocols were effective, Mr Rezal said his swab test had taken place on Friday while he boarded the ship on Monday.
“I am not sure that that one weekend gap … makes any difference to our COVID-19 status or situation.”
In October, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced that two cruise lines - Genting and Royal Caribbean - would be able to resume cruises under a pilot scheme, and at a maximum capacity of 50 per cent.
Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas vessel resumed sailing from Dec 1, offering three- and four-night cruises.
STB said in a statement on Wednesday that an 83-year-old man tested positive for COVID-19 after he reported to the on board medical centre with diarrhoea.
READ: After COVID-19 case, Quantum of the Seas cruise scheduled for Dec 10 to go ahead: Royal Caribbean
Prior to boarding, the passenger had also taken a mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and tested negative.
Royal Caribbean said on Wednesday morning that its next sailing, scheduled for Thursday, is still set to go ahead after the vessel is deep-cleaned and sanitised. An update is expected by 6pm on Wednesday on whether there will be further changes, said Royal Caribbean.
"NO REGRETS"
Mdm Adeline Tan, who was on the cruise with her husband, told CNA that she does not regret going on the cruise nor does she feel upset about the news as she had enjoyed the trip.
However, the 56-year-old part time lighting equipment sales executive said she “feels so sorry” that she made her loved ones worry, especially since they had tried to dissuade her from going on the cruise.
She said she “never thought this would happen to me” and that the first two cruise batches prior to her trip had gone on without incident.
Mdm Tan said she was not worried about whether she would test positive or negative for COVID-19 as there was “no point worrying right now”.
She added that she was afraid of putting her colleagues and family members at risk and will isolate at home and not attend the wedding of a close relative this weekend as an added safety precaution “in case another group suffers”.
Mdm Tan said she also plans to stay away from work because she interacts with a lot of people as a sales executive.
Regarding the COVID-19 testing measures, Mdm Tan said that it was not “100 per cent foolproof” as everyone had tested negative before boarding the ship.
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