Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas Sits in Bayonne Awaiting Test Results

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas Passengers Checked for Coronavirus

UPDATE 2/8/2020 at 9:40 PM.

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas is still sitting quayside in Cape Liberty Bayonne, NJ. She has been there since her arrival early Friday morning and select passengers were taken off and tested for the Coronavirus.

The Anthem of the Seas is awaiting the final clearance from the CDC to sail. Reported not all of the test results have been returned.

Royal Caribbean is now stating that the Anthem of the Seas will  depart Monday at 3 PM and has replaced the itinerary's call in Cape Canaveral, Coco Cay and Nassau with Kings Wharf Bermuda. The cruise has also been shortened to 5 days.

Passengers on booked on the cruise have been asked to not report to the cruise pier until Monday afternoon. 

Royal Caribbean has offered generous compensation for those wanting to sail on Monday  and full refunds for those choosing not to sail.

Below is a statement from Royal Caribbean.

Anthem of the Seas Updates
February 8th, 2020 at 5:00 PM EST
We'll share our next updates tomorrow, February 9th at 9:00 AM EST.

Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout this situation, that is so challenging for all of us. As we previously shared, 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 the timing, we are going to push the departure date to Monday in order to have conclusive results before sailing.

Our goal is to now set sail from Cape Liberty, New Jersey on Monday, February 10th at 3:00 PM EST. Boarding will begin at 11:00 AM EST and all guests must be onboard by 2:00 PM EST. Please see our revised itinerary.

DATES	DAY	ORIGINAL ITINERARY	REVISED ITINERARY
2/7	Friday	Cape Liberty, New Jersey	-
2/8	Saturday	Cruising	-
2/9	Sunday	Cruising	-
2/10	Monday	Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida	Cape Liberty, New Jersey
2/11	Tuesday	Perfect Day at CocoCay	Cruising
2/12	Wednesday	Nassau, Bahamas	King's Wharf, Bermuda
2/13	Thursday	Cruising	King's Wharf, Bermuda
2/14	Friday	Cruising	Cruising
2/15	Saturday	Cape Liberty, New Jersey	Cape Liberty, New Jersey

You may be wondering why our itinerary changed from a Bahamas cruise to a Bermuda cruise. With a Monday afternoon departure, we wouldn’t arrive into Nassau until around 3:00 PM and would need to depart later that evening to make our way back to Cape Liberty – not a great experience. Given that our goal is to provide you with the best vacation possible, we made the decision to sail to Bermuda, where you’ll have more than a day and a half in port to explore. Plus, the weather forecast is looking favorable in Bermuda during our visit.

We know how much you were looking forward to beginning your vacation, and we cannot apologize enough for the impact this situation has caused. But we can try to make up for it.

Should you chose to join us, our updated compensation is:

• A 50 % refund, which will be added to your Onboard Account as a refundable onboard credit.
• And, because we know that this is not how any of us wanted this to go, and we want you to give us another shot, we will be also provide you with a 50% future cruise credit.
• In addition, if you purchased an internet or beverage package, unlimited dining package, or pre-paid your gratuities, you’ll receive a prorated refund as a credit for the 3 days your cruise was shortened by to your Onboard Account.
• Any pre-purchased Royal Caribbean International shore excursions for the impacted ports will also be refunded to your Onboard Account.

 All credits applied to your Onboard Account can be used anywhere onboard, and any unused credits will be refunded back to your credit card on file about 3 – 5 business days after the sailing ends.
If you choose not to sail, we completely understand and you may cancel and 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, 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.

If you decide to sail and are local, we ask that you please relax 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, per night. 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 RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for reimbursement. And lastly, if you booked your airfare with us and choose to cancel, we will help you reschedule your return flights home.

As promised, we will continue to keep you informed and will share an update with you tomorrow at 9:00 AM EST, even if there is no new news.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we ensure your safety and wellbeing.

---

Please also take a minute to review our screening and boarding protocols. We have been working with medical experts, public health authorities, and local governments, and in alignment with new stricter CDC protocols, we are tightening our measures to protect guests and crew. These steps are intentionally conservative, and we apologize that they will inconvenience some of our guests.
Until further notice, all ships in the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. fleet will adopt these health screening protocols:

1. Regardless of nationality, we will deny boarding to:

a. Any guest who has traveled from, to or through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau in the past 15 days.

b. Any guest who has come in contact with anyone from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau in the past 15 days. The CDC characterizes contact with an individual as coming within six feet (2M) of a person.

c. All holders of China, Hong Kong and Macau passports.

2. There will be mandatory specialized health screenings performed on:

a. Guests who are uncertain about contact with individuals who have traveled from, to or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau in the past 15 days.

b. Guests who report feeling unwell or demonstrate any flu-like symptoms.

c. Guests presenting with fever or low blood oximetry in the specialized health screenings will be denied boarding.

All guests who are denied boarding due to these restrictions will receive full refunds.
If you or someone in your stateroom has traveled or been in close contact with someone that has traveled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau within 15 days of sailing departure, or is a passport holder of China, Hong Kong, or Macau, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately, or contact us at 1-800-256-6649 or visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.

We take this very seriously and have a responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy environment onboard our ships, as well as in the ports we visit.
Onboard our ships, we continue to take numerous proactive steps to maintain high health standards. This includes:

• Thoroughly sanitizing the cruise ship terminal before and after every sailing.
• Special sanitizing of high traffic areas onboard multiple times a day.
• All areas onboard, including guest stateroom, are thoroughly cleaned on every ship, for every sailing. During this unique circumstance, we’re doing extra deep cleaning on any ship where guests have flu-like symptoms.
• Adding extra medical staff on each sailing.
• Providing complimentary consultations with medical experts for all guests & crew.
• Plus, the Captain will make two daily announcements during your cruise reminding everyone of how to stay healthy onboard.

---

 RETURN TO NYCRUISEINFO.com

  ---------------------------------------
  Sister Sites
=> NYCruiseInfo.com Website - Cruise Schedule, Ship Reviews, Ports of Call & More.
=> Nick's Cruise Corner Blog - News On Cruise Ships Sailing World Wide.
=> Follow Us on Instagram - NYCruiseInfo At Instagram
=> Subscribe to Our Monthly New York Cruises Newsletter

.