Hotel Quarantine – After a Cruise

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Can you imagine adding a hotel quarantine after a cruise?

Are you tracking along with Jessalynn and her experience with getting Covid on a Cruise?  If you missed part one, you can find it here.  And, now, more of the story unfolds as she spends a few days quarantined in a hotel in Miami while she waits for transportation home.

Take it away Jessalynn

Part II: Disembarking the ship and what happened next

I waited a few days to write this post so that I’d be able to give you a more complete understanding of what will happen if you’re disembarked from a cruise ship after a positive COVID test. Keep in mind that this is just one example on one cruise line/ship (Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas).

My breakfast was delivered around 7 am Sunday morning to my quarantine cabin on the ship and I set about making sure that I was ready when it was time to leave. I had been told at one point that it would be “between 8 and 9 am,” but throughout the process, details were a bit slow in coming. (Editor’s note: I would later learn that this was because the Royal Caribbean team was simultaneously handling about 45-50 positive cases on the Symphony of the Seas, which had docked the day before.)

Leaving the ship/first day at the hotel

I wound up spending about half of the day sitting around in my quarantine cabin. To tolerate this whole process well, you have to be good at waiting. I mean, where are you going to go? You don’t even know anyway, ha! I didn’t wind up getting off the ship until nearly noon. I was taken by myself in a car to a nearby hotel, where I was given a key to a room.

When the employee handed me the room key, I asked about getting more information. “Someone will call you,” he said. I asked about food; he said, “Call the front desk and they can send up anything you need.” I tried to call the front desk, but no one answered.

I used a delivery service I was familiar with, GoPuff, to order some beers and snacks. It was a Sunday, and I figured that a day of watching football games would help pass the time while I waited for the call that would tell me how I was getting home. Finally, I reached someone at the front desk, who clarified that I was supposed to order food via delivery services and have it sent to the room.

More football and food – because what else do you do when in hotel quarantine?

I continued watching football until I got hungry and ordered some dinner to be delivered. I admit that at this point, I was getting a little frustrated – and a little despondent. Was I being left to find my own way home? Would I make it home for Christmas?

Here’s where I learned an important lesson about this process – just because you’re tired of waiting doesn’t mean that the waiting is over!

At around 10 pm, I fell asleep watching The Sound of Music on my hotel room TV. A representative from the Royal Caribbean Care Team finally called at 11 pm, but I was sound asleep.

Hotel life day 2 (Monday) and further information (finally!)

The same Care Team member called me back promptly at 8 am on the next morning to tell me what was going to happen. In talking to her, I confirmed that it was as I had expected, that the Symphony cases had taken up her entire day yesterday and that’s why she hadn’t been able to call until later. She was so apologetic but mostly it was me who wanted to apologize to her – it sounded like some of the cruisers she talked to the previous day were downright mean to her!

She told me that they were arranging my transport home and that someone would call later with details for me. I thanked her profusely and felt immediately better about my prospects to make it home in time for Christmas! And then – I waited again.

Finally, at 1:30 pm another employee called to tell me that my flight home would be on Wednesday morning or afternoon. Looks like I was going to be in this hotel room for a while!

I was lucky to have already been prepared for the extra time in the hotel; after all, I was supposed to still be on the cruise ship for those days. But this experience has made me realize that packing for a cruise during COVID is a lot like cruising during hurricane season – you need to make sure that you have extra underwear, medicines, etc for at least half a week, if not more.

Hotel life day 3 (Tuesday) and transport details

On the morning of day 3, a member of the Royal Caribbean Care Team contacted me to let me know that my flight home had been scheduled for 1:10 pm on Wednesday afternoon. Yippee! I would be picked up at the hotel in a car and driven to the airport for what’s being called an “air ambulance” back to North Carolina. At that point, I would be picked up by another car and taken to my house.

I admit, for a time on Sunday afternoon, I was very frustrated with Royal Caribbean’s efforts in this situation. But at this point, I am so grateful for all their hard work in coordinating my travel home. I’ve been told to order food through delivery services and save my receipts for reimbursement when I get home. I’m going to be home for Christmas. It was definitely a bad stroke of luck to get COVID during my cruise, but I’m hopeful that this story will have a happy ending after all!

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Worrier’s Guide – To prepare for “if” you get Covid on your cruise.

If you’re taking a cruise during the pandemic take these extra precautions

• Pack extra medications!
• Pack extra underwear – because, eww.
• Make sure you have someone to call on to care for your home, pets, loved ones, etc. should you be delayed.
• Technology – While you may not work during your vacation, if working remotely is an option for you, you may consider bringing that laptop along on your trip
• Throw in some lounge wear! You’ll want to be comfortable and cozy if you’re quarantined.

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