Tom Royal Caribbean Cruise has recently made some changes to pre-departure ART tests. As we’ve written quite extensively about the pre-cruise preparations for cruise to nowhere aboard Quantum of the Seas, this post will be a really quick one, just to let everyone know about the recent changes that you’ll be expecting for your next Cruise to Nowhere with Royal Caribbean Cruise!
Updates on Cruise to Nowhere onboard Quantum of the Seas
There are some important updates since our last cruise to nowhere in March this year. As we’ve just returned from the 9 December departure, here are some differences that we’ve noticed. For the full (and latest) updates, do refer to Royal Caribbean Cruise’s Singapore Departure Itinerary Updates.
1. Protocols pertaining to Groups of 5.
• All guests are required to remain in groups 5 while enjoying onboard public spaces, including restaurants and theatres. If you’re travelling in groups bigger than 5, you’ll have to adhere to this rule in all public spaces.
• Up to 5 guests per cabin, except where individuals are all from the same household (i.e, same residential address), subject to the cabin’s maximum capacity.
• Dine-in is allowed with Group sizes of up to 5 persons regardless of household and are fully vaccinated (14 days post 2nd shot) or medically ineligible* (*only from 1 Dec onwards). Unvaccinated children aged 12 and below – born in 2009 or after – may be included in the group of 5 persons as long as all these children are from the same household.
2. Vaccination is Required for Passengers about 12 years old.
• Effective for sailings 21 November 2021 forward, all adults, above 12 years old (13+), must be vaccinated at time of sailing – you may call RCC at +65 6675 0419 to adjust your sailing plans if you will not be vaccinated at time of sailing (we are no longer grandfathering in existing booking made prior to Oct 1, 2021). This last sentence is particularly important for those who have yet to be vaccinated.
3. No Need for Royal Caribbean Tracelets. During our recent December 2021 cruise, we noticed that the tracelet is no longer required. All you need when you move around onboard will be your Seapass card (ie room key) and the Trace Together App or Token (either one will do).
4. ART Testing at Raffles City Convention Centre on Day of Departure.
For sailings from 2nd December 2021, all guests must complete an Antigen test (ART) on the day of sailing. All guests will complete testing at the Raffles City Convention Centre before heading to the terminal for the cruise. All guests will register with Eurofins via the TrustOne website for an Antigen test that must be completed on sail day at the Raffles City Convention Centre. Guests should arrive to the Raffles City one hour prior to terminal boarding time.
This post will mainly cover the ART testing required at Raffles City Convention Centre on the day of departure…
Royal Caribbean Cruise to Nowhere ART Testing at Raffles City Convention Centre
Previously, Royal Caribbean Cruise requires passengers to do the PCR test 2 days prior to departure. We’ve discussed this in our Royal Caribbean Cruise vs Dream Cruise post that we found it a little troublesome as you’d have to gather your travelling party, take a half day of leave, just to do the PCR tests. In the beginning, PCR tests were good as it provided a higher level of accuracy as compared to ART. However, as Singapore moved into the endemic phase to “living with COVID”, RCC likewise changed their testing protocol to ART. This was a positive move as you’d now only need to gather your party to do the test and depart on the same day. However, there’s one gripe. Unlike Dream Cruise where testing is done at the terminal, Royal Caribbean does that pre-departure ART tests at Raffles City Convention Centre.
This brings up a couple of issues. Especially for those who drive. To circumvent this problem, some drivers drop their party off at Raffles City, head over to Marina Bay Cruise Centre to park the car, before coming back to Raffles City for the ART test. Our advice? Try not to drive as public transport is readily available at both Raffles City and Marina Bay Cruise Centre.
Timings of Royal Caribbean Cruise ART Testing at Raffles City
Due to the venue problem and the original instructions of arriving at Raffles City “at least” an hour before your scheduled arrival time, there was a massive queue that occurred on the 2nd December departure. You can see some of these pictures from Singapore Cruise Society’s coverage.
Thankfully, Royal Caribbean has heard the feedbacks and removed “at least” from the latest set of instructions and were firm on the way entry was handled. For instance, our arrival window at the cruise terminal was scheduled at 1pm. This means that we could only enter for our ART at 12pm. We arrived at about 1130am but were denied entry – which, in a sense was good. When we returned slightly before 12pm, the board had changed to our timing and we could enter immediately, just by flashing our arrival window timing on the Royal Caribbean App.
It may still be slightly confusing for some, so let us explain a little. When we selected our arrival window time at 1pm, we knew that we had to arrive at Raffles City at 12pm. So after we were denied at 1130am, we shopped around a little at Raffles City and returned at 12pm. This time, we saw the “Arrival Window 1pm” sign above.
This also means that all you have to do is to arrive one hour prior to your arrival window and everything will be really smooth. In fact, after we entered at 1155am, we exited the premise at 12pm. Swab included!
After taking our ART (all of which was completed within 5 minutes), we were told to hang around in Raffles City till our negative results were sent to us. You will receive your test results via either of the three ways:
• SMS
• Email
• Trace Together App
We received our results at about 1220pm. By experience, Trace Together shows the results a tad bit faster than SMS. Email was the slowest.
With our negative test result, we took the MRT to Marina South Pier Station and we noticed that there was no one else on the same train as us! This also shows why we recommend the public transport option (besides it being the Greener option).
After arriving at Marina Bay Cruise Centre at about 1245pm, the check-in process had already begun and we received our “Orange Zone” boarding card. We eventually boarded at 145pm. A really pleasant and efficient check-in process overall.
Conclusion
Overall, we really enjoyed the efficiency and speed of the new pre-departure ART test by Royal Caribbean Cruise. Although testing is now done at Raffles City, we can see the reduced waiting times at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre (1 hour as compared to 2 hours for Dream Cruises). Also, the ART testing at Raffles City allows passengers to do some last minute shopping and snacking. While there is no real need, it is still an option available.
Lastly, we were just blown away with the speed with which the entire testing took. Just 5 minutes from entry to departure from the testing premise. That’s how efficient it was. We also noticed that there were quite a few people manning each station during the test. One person to give instructions, one person to test and another to do the labels. This probably enhanced the overall speed, which is great for the passenger experience.
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Stay tuned as we check out some new experiences onboard the Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas for our latest cruise to nowhere!
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Hello! Did you have to register for the test at Raffles City? or just turn up 1 hour before your boarding time?
Hi Anne,
Yes, you will have to select the arrival time on the Royal App. Note that if you select the 1pm time slot, you can arrive at 12pm for your ART at Raffles City.
Hope this helps!
Tom & Kate,
2bearbear.com