Chinese New Year (CNY) in Singapore won’t be the same this year, due to the prevailing 5-person restrictions on visitations.
Thus, those bumped off the invite list for the upcoming list may have decided to spend the holidays on a leisurely cruise instead.
But even these plans may be dashed after Royal Caribbean International (RCI) cancelled 2 cruises over the CNY period.
That’s because Covid-19 cases have been detected among crew members of their current sailing.
RCI broke the disappointing news in an email to guests seen by MS News.
They said that 0.6% of the “total onboard population” on the Quantum of the Seas, which last set off on 27 Jan, had tested positive.
They were detected via routine crew testing and screening.
However, they didn’t mention in their letter how many people were infected, and whether any passengers were also affected.
The Singapore Cruise Society’s blog shed a bit more light on the situation, reporting that “small amount of crew” had been infected.
This was enough for RCI to make the decision to cancel the next 2 sailings of the ship, scheduled for 31 Jan and 3 Feb.
RCI apologised for affecting guests’ plans, and said the situation was disappointing for them also.
But all options were explored before the decision to cancel was made, as safety is paramount.
MS News also understands that an RCI spokesman cited an “an abundance of caution” for the move, adding that it was “a prudent decision” considering the global Covid-19 situation.
Guests who booked the 31 Jan sailing will get a full refund of the fare and any pre-paid purchases.
They’ll also be offered a 100% Future Cruise Credit for any future cruise bookings before 31 Jan 2023.
For those who booked the 3 Feb sailing, they’ll be offered either a full refund or a 125% Future Cruise Credit for bookings before 3 Feb 2023, the Singapore Cruise Society said.
However, the restitution didn’t prevent a netizen, who’d booked the cruise for Monday (31 Jan), from being disappointed.
She commented on Singapore Cruise Society’s Facebook page about having to do last-minute CNY shopping because of the cancellation.
As for the passengers on the current sailing, where the cases were discovered, they’re due back in Singapore on Monday (31 Jan) after their 4-night cruise.
According to Singapore Cruise Society, only some F&B outlets onboard are closed.
Crew members were also seen wearing N95 masks and face shields.
In a Facebook comment, a passenger currently on the ship also observed fewer staff on duty.
Despite that, she said everything is going smoothy and the crew members seem to be in high spirits.
However, she professed to have been shocked to learn about the positive cases over breakfast.
While it’s obviously dispiriting for guests to hear that their long-awaited cruise has been cancelled, most would understand that it’s necessary for their safety.
After all, this isn’t the 1st time a cruise has been cancelled due to positive Covid-19 cases.
Hopefully, the number of cases linked to the 27 Jan sailing will be kept to a minimum and subsequent cruises will be able to go ahead as planned.
MS News wishes those infected a speedy recovery.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured images adapted from Royal Caribbean International on Facebook and Singapore Cruise Society.
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