Ovation of the Seas cruise ship passengers slugged $235 for a Covid test
A cruise line is charging passengers an eye-watering “consultation fee” if they give a negative Covid-19 test at an onboard medical center after falling ill on one of its ships.
The policy, which sees charges waived if a passenger tests positive, could be revealed as Australia enters peak cruise season and Covid cases suddenly rise in every state and territory.
Sydney businessman Dennis Cohen was stunned when his 76-year-old father was told he would be hit with a $150 (AU$235) charge if he tested negative for Covid while sailing from Hawaii to his home city.
The pair sailed last month on Ovation of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean, and Mr. Cohen’s father developed a sore throat about 10 days into the $3,000, 19-night trip.
Dennis Cohen’s father was told he would have to pay $150 for a Covid ‘consultation’ if his rapid antigen test came back negative during cruise from Hawaii to Sydney last month
Mr. Cohen said his father visited the ship’s medical center and requested a rapid antigen test (RAT), largely to protect the other 3,500 passengers on the ship.
βHe didn’t think he had Covid, he just wanted to do the right thing,β Cohen said.
Mr. Cohen’s father was told that the test kit, which costs just $5 at the pharmacy, was “free” and that Royal Caribbean would pay for his treatment if he returned a positive result.
But if the test came back negative, he would be forced to pay a US$150 (AU$235) ‘consultation fee’ for a procedure that any competent person could complete themselves and which usually took about 15 minutes.
βHe had a sore throat,β Cohen said. βHe wasn’t going to pay $150.
‘He just wanted to be 100 per cent sure he didn’t have Covid and give it to someone else. That’s what irritates me.’
Mr. Cohen’s father was sailing on Ovation of the Seas (pictured), operated by Royal Caribbean, last month when he developed a sore throat about 10 days into the 19-night voyage
Mr. Cohen’s father offered to bring the RAT to his cabin and perform the test himself, but was told it had to be done at the medical center.
He refused to pay the fee and left without any treatment.
βIt just sounded ridiculous,β Cohen said. “I called them and they confirmed that what my father said was correct.”
Mr Cohen said if a Covid-positive passenger were deterred by the $150 charge and chose not to get tested, the cruise ship company would face a much greater financial liability.
βIt’s stupid and financially counterproductive,β he said. ‘It just stunk no matter how you looked at it.
βWhat they’re really doing is committing dollars to passenger safety, and it’s not even dollars they’re saving; it’s going to cost them even more money.
βIf someone has Covid and can’t afford to risk the negative test, they will infect everyone else and Royal Caribbean will cover all their medical costs.β
Mr. Cohen’s father was told that the test, which costs just $5 at a pharmacy, was “free” and that Royal Caribbean would pay for his treatment – but only if it was positive. However, if the test came back negative, he would be forced to pay a US$150 (S$235) ‘consultation fee’.
Mr Cohen said the cruise line has a duty of care to its passengers and must offer Covid tests β whether positive or negative β for a nominal fee of, say, $10.
When he proposed that idea to a senior crew member on the ship, that person said, “I support you,” and explained that the current policy was a “corporate decision.”
βI think what they did was pretty disgusting,β Cohen said.
‘I don’t often complain about things, but no matter how I look at it, it just absolutely stinks. It annoys and frustrates me to think about how stupid it is.
βI would really like to get it out there and let people know what they’re getting into before they get to the ship because I think it’s such a stupid policy.β
A Royal Caribbean spokeswoman confirmed that passengers on board its ships were charged a $150 “physician consultation fee.”
βIf a Covid test is positive, the charge will be waived and if the test is negative, the guest will be treated for the cause of the illness, including medication,β the spokeswoman said.
‘We strongly recommend that all guests take out travel insurance before departure.’
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson confirmed that passengers have been charged a $150 ‘physician consultation fee’ for a negative Covid test
Ovation of the Seas is a Quantum class cruise ship that operates primarily from Seattle during the northern summer and Sydney during the southern summer season.
Passengers on board the Grand Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, have suffered double cases of gastro- and Covid-19 since the ship docked in Adelaide on Monday.
Anyone with either virus was not allowed to disembark and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said the Covid rate on Grand Princess was relatively in line with the rest of the community.
Grand Princess was due to sail to Melbourne on Wednesday.
There were 6,550 reported Covid cases across Australia last week, with the Department of Health and Aged Care confirming an average of 936 new cases per day.
In NSW, Covid activity has increased ‘across all indicators’ over the past two weeks, with more than one in 10 PCR tests returning a positive result.
With fewer people testing and information on self-reported RAT tests no longer being tested, the latest figures are likely to be significantly underestimated.