RCCL "Unsupervised" Testing Embarkation Process Experience

[mickeychicky]

Now that we've reached the date where unsupervised testing is accepted to board RCCL, it would be nice to get actual feedback on how the process is going so that others don't make the same mistakes, if there were any. 

Did the employees at check in know what they were doing? 

Anyone just bring in your negative test, or take a photo and show it?

Should people be doing a "BACK-UP" supervised test?

 

Please add your experience with your embarkation port.

[Sancho_proudfoot]

First off, let me stress this is second-hand heresay.  People on the Anthem right now are reporting that  from arrival at the car park alongside the terminal  to being on board is taking under 20 minutes 

 

Terminal staff check vaccination papers, check the Antigen test ( in whatever  format) ask the 3 health questions  again, and wave you onboard.

[little britain]

1 hour ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

First off, let me stress this is second-hand heresay.  People on the Anthem right now are reporting that  from arrival at the car park alongside the terminal  to being on board is taking under 20 minutes 

 

Terminal staff check vaccination papers, check the Antigen test ( in whatever  format) ask the 3 health questions  again, and wave you onboard.

I can attest to that! Quickest boarding ever! We sailed on Sunday literally hours before the rules changed. 

[cruisegal40]

I assume this is for un- vaccinated folks?  As far as I read, only un-vaccinated still need to test 3 days prior?  Am I missing something here?

[rudeney]

19 minutes ago, cruisegal40 said:

I assume this is for un- vaccinated folks?  As far as I read, only un-vaccinated still need to test 3 days prior?  Am I missing something here?

 

That's my understanding - vaccinated passengers on cruises of less than 10 days and not stopping in Canada or Bermuda do not need to test. 

[Finnsmom13]

Super interested to hear as I will be going thru this in Oct 

We are star class so may not be fully the standard processing times but will still need to know overall truth behind a simple photo of a home test 

[mickeychicky]

3 hours ago, cruisegal40 said:

I assume this is for un- vaccinated folks?  As far as I read, only un-vaccinated still need to test 3 days prior?  Am I missing something here?

Yes sorry, I should have put that in the title.  UNVAXED folks that are opting for the Unsupervised test.  Just want to see if they are encountering problems.

Edited September 7, 2022 by mickeychicky

[mickeychicky]

2 hours ago, Finnsmom13 said:

Super interested to hear as I will be going thru this in Oct 

We are star class so may not be fully the standard processing times but will still need to know overall truth behind a simple photo of a home test 

If I were cruising next week, I would be taking one of the proctored tests until enough people are reporting the process has no glitches.  Our Royal cruise is in November so I think enough time will have passed where there would be no issues.  Still taking a test or two with me in my carry-on JUST IN CASE!!!!

Edited September 7, 2022 by mickeychicky

[taglovestocruise]

2 hours ago, Finnsmom13 said:

Super interested to hear as I will be going thru this in Oct 

We are star class so may not be fully the standard processing times but will still need to know overall truth behind a simple photo of a home test 

There was a post here on CC a week or so ago.  Family of four, took one test and four photos and had no problem at checkin.

[easyqueasy]

3 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

There was a post here on CC a week or so ago.  Family of four, took one test and four photos and had no problem at checkin.

Curious how that can be. Didn’t the unsupervised test just started two days ago?

[taglovestocruise]

22 minutes ago, easyqueasy said:

Curious how that can be. Didn’t the unsupervised test just started two days ago?

Yep, started on the 5th. Maybe that poster was getting everything ready. No proctor needed, no date on test needed. No QR scan needed, just a pic of any test new or old. All Royal cares about is seeing the word NEGITIVE. It seems like the tests are the same as the D vouchers, completely shareable. 

[BND]

8 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

Yep, started on the 5th. Maybe that poster was getting everything ready. No proctor needed, no date on test needed. No QR scan needed, just a pic of any test new or old. All Royal cares about is seeing the word NEGITIVE. It seems like the tests are the same as the D vouchers, completely shareable. 

As I've said, this is not about negatives tests, but is about liability.  If someone boards with a test result that wasn't theirs but they said it was, then RCI is not liable.  Pretty simple.  It's putting the responsibility on the individual where it should be.  So glad our b2b in Nov doesn't require any test.

[greatestvalue]

10 hours ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

First off, let me stress this is second-hand heresay.  People on the Anthem right now are reporting that  from arrival at the car park alongside the terminal  to being on board is taking under 20 minutes 

 

Terminal staff check vaccination papers, check the Antigen test ( in whatever  format) ask the 3 health questions  again, and wave you onboard.

This is pretty much how it worked on Voyager Aug 28. 

[mickeychicky]

11 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

There was a post here on CC a week or so ago.  Family of four, took one test and four photos and had no problem at checkin.

And THOSE are the type of people that will ruin this for everybody else.  If the cruise lines hear that enough times, and they do have people that troll these boards I'm sure, they will put an end to the unsupervised testing.

Kinda like how the drink packages work now, if one purchases a package you ALL have to purchase one. Thank The "Sharer's" for that!

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, mickeychicky said:

And THOSE are the type of people that will ruin this for everybody else.  If the cruise lines hear that enough times, and they do have people that troll these boards I'm sure, they will put an end to the unsupervised testing.

Kinda like how the drink packages work now, if one purchases a package you ALL have to purchase one. Thank The "Sharer's" for that!

No, not really 

[BND]

2 hours ago, mickeychicky said:

And THOSE are the type of people that will ruin this for everybody else.  If the cruise lines hear that enough times, and they do have people that troll these boards I'm sure, they will put an end to the unsupervised testing.

Kinda like how the drink packages work now, if one purchases a package you ALL have to purchase one. Thank The "Sharer's" for that!

I guarantee that the cruise line knew this would happen.  I still think it's the way RCI gets out from under any liability issue and puts it on the cruisers themselves.  Plus, this won't last.  Next update will drop  the max cruise length for testing and after the end of Oct, Bermuda and Canada aren't in play again until spring so by then I'm assuming they're expecting to be able to drop those requirements also.

[jimdalva]

FYI ;  As of today Covid is killing 1000 Americans  daily.

[not-enough-cruising]

20 minutes ago, jimdalva said:

FYI ;  As of today Covid is killing 1000 Americans  daily.

Not the ones that are cruising 

[moposh]

15 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Yep, started on the 5th. Maybe that poster was getting everything ready. No proctor needed, no date on test needed. No QR scan needed, just a pic of any test new or old. All Royal cares about is seeing the word NEGITIVE. It seems like the tests are the same as the D vouchers, completely shareable. 

What's next?  Selling negative test results online?  🙄

[Mikamarii]

FYI Obesity kills 2.8 million people each year. How come people aren't lobbying cruise lines for change? This affects all of us regardless of my decision of what goes in to my body.

 

https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/6-facts-on-obesity#:~:text=At least 2.8 million people each year die as a,tripled between 1975 and 2016.

[Janet524]

20 hours ago, rudeney said:

 

That's my understanding - vaccinated passengers on cruises of less than 10 days and not stopping in Canada or Bermuda do not need to test. 

Can the unsupervised Covid test be used for Canada cruises?  I can't seem to find any info on this on the RC site and calling to ask a rep is useless since they are clueless.

[BND]

1 hour ago, jimdalva said:

FYI ;  As of today Covid is killing 1000 Americans  daily.

Not sure where you got that number.   Here is a chart that shows how the numbers vary by date so reporting 1,000 per day is not true.

 

https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_coronavirus_deaths_per_day

 

And, here's the CDC's data

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by BND

[mickeychicky]

32 minutes ago, Janet524 said:

Can the unsupervised Covid test be used for Canada cruises?  I can't seem to find any info on this on the RC site and calling to ask a rep is useless since they are clueless.

Try this page and pick where you are sailing FROM in the drop down box.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/getting-ready-to-cruise

 

and here:

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/will-i-have-to-take-a-test-before-i-cruise#united-states

Edited September 8, 2022 by mickeychicky

[rudeney]

1 hour ago, Janet524 said:

Can the unsupervised Covid test be used for Canada cruises?  I can't seem to find any info on this on the RC site and calling to ask a rep is useless since they are clueless.

 

No - it must be professionally administered or proctored.  Here are the official rules for Canadian cruises (which RCCL follows):

 

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/cruise

 

And don't forget to do ArriveCAN!

[scottraveller]

Just had a response from the concierge on board Anthem and he has confirmed that self administered testing is fine now for Sundays sailing. Done the tests this afternoon on my wife and I and printed/saved the necessary details so all good. Looking forward to a great cruise, first one for three years.