Quantum of the Seas Guests Experiences Long Queues at Testing Site - What Actually Happened
Not a good way to celebrate Quantum’s one year resumption of sailings from Singapore.
NOTE: An update has been posted on this article. Refer to the latest here.
Long queues forming outside Royal Caribbean’s designated testing center on 2 December 2021. PHOTO: SINGAPORE CRUISE SOCIETY
Royal Caribbean’s guests departing on Quantum of the Seas’ sailing today (December 2nd, 2021) experienced long queues at the cruise lines’ designated testing centre at Raffles City Convention Centre Singapore on the first day after the cruise line made changes to the testing site.
Context: Guests sailing from Singapore must undergo a COVID-19 test ahead of their departure. In line with government protocols, Royal Caribbean made the switch from PCR testing to Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) to be conducted on the day of departure at the terminal. However, due to operational and guest satisfaction concerns, the cruise line shifted the testing site to a convention centre located around 4.6km away from the terminal, or a quick 10-minute distance by car.
The first sailing to be affected by this shift was today’s departure (December 2nd, 2021)
The Singapore Cruise Society was on the ground this morning to observe the new testing process. December is the Public School Holidays for students here in Singapore and is considered the peak-travel period of the year, with Royal Caribbean expecting over 2,000 guests on today’s sailing.
10:20am - Our Arrival
When one of our admins first arrived at the convention center at approximately 10:20am, the entrance to the convention centre was still quite empty. A few early arrivals were asked to return at 11am, as that was when the testing centre would be ready for guests to test. However, this would be the first time guests were informed that the testing center only opened at 11am.
Entrance to the Testing Facility at 10:26am PHOTO: SINGAPORE CRUISE SOCIETY
The calmness dissipated quickly, as many more guests flowed in, forming lines just 20 minutes after. The testing facility opened their doors 10 minutes before 11am, with the intention of alleviating the potential queue downstairs, but this alone was not enough.
Moreover, guests were queuing and entering the facility from two directions, the corridor leading to the mall next door at Level 3, and the larger lobby of the convention centre at Level 2. This caused more distress as guests were no longer sure where they were supposed to queue or appear. This was solved by barricading off this entrance and redirecting guests back down to level 2.
More Queues formed a while later, photo taken at 10:38am PHOTO: SINGAPORE CRUISE SOCIETY
11am - Arrival of More Guests
When the line to enter the testing centre started to move at 11am, that was when order was no longer maintained. Seeing movements, guests moved out of their line and made way to the only escalators, squeezing with other guests along with their luggage and young ones. Order was lost at this point, with the staff desperately trying to reform the queues to avoid injuries and maintain any social distance.
The queue dissipated, with guests crowding and rushing for the escalators. Photo taken at 11:00am. PHOTO: SINGAPORE CRUISE SOCIETY
By now, most guests were starting to feel restless as there were no clear plans or flow in view, all there was: long queues, messy crowds with no directional flow.
However, with the help of additional manpower sent down, the staff manage to reform the queue and control the crowd within 10 minutes.
Inside the Testing Centre: More queues, but shorter waiting times.
Fellow guests shared with us images from inside the testing centre as they joined the queues, but mentioned that they were shorter, and managed to get swabbed soon after. These queues were more organised, with clear barricades to direct the flow.
After the swab, guests were requested to stay within the mall/convention centre until after they received their test results.
No official transport was provided for the journey to the cruise centre that followed. There was a $5 off promotion for first-time users of a cab-hailing application. (Photo Credit to @SZK, @TK0806)
12pm - Snaking Queues
At noon, the queue outside the testing centre was now clearly visible snaking through the atrium. It extended over to the Raffles City Shopping Mall next door, and that was when Safe Distancing Ambassadors (Singapore Government Officials) stepped in to check out the situation. Queues filled the mall on the second floor, in front of shops that were already open for business.
12:30pm - We headed over to the terminal
We went over to the terminal, and was greeted with a welcoming sight. Guests who have completed their COVID tests who arrived within their allocated time were able to enter the terminal smoothly, with no queues in sight. Check-in commenced at 12pm, while boarding started an hour after that.
We did not see any potential waits at the entrance of the terminal at this time.
2:15pm - Queue outside subsided
When we returned back to the convention centre, the majority of the guests had completed the swab, and the queues were back to normal waiting times. We also noticed that multiple Safe Distancing Ambassadors (SDAs) from the government have been stationed at the convention centre to assist the staff manage the queues.
We understand from guests that arrived later in the afternoon (after 4pm) that their process took no longer than 10 minutes.
Why Did This Happen? - An Email from Royal Caribbean
In the weeks leading up to their departure, guests setting sail today received an email from Royal Caribbean’s testing provider Eurofins, informing guests to register for their Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) which will be conducted at the convention centre. However, most importantly, it advised guests to “Please arrive at the testing site at least 1 hour prior to your check-in arrival window selected during your online check-in for your cruise.” Based on our understanding, the earliest check-in slot was 12pm, hence, suggesting to guests that they should arrive at the convention centre no later than 11am.
Email to guests from Royal Caribbean with regards to the testing requirements
In addition, most guests have manage to came across an article on a local newspaper The Straits Times, quoting a Royal Caribbean spokesperson sharing “At Raffles City, guests will have a choice of timings for the ART, and may head there earlier in the day, and then return home to relax or finish packing. In addition, guests need not wait around for the result, as they will receive this via SMS, usually within 45 minutes,”
This was not the case, as guests were not provided an option to make advance bookings for the testing, nor were informed that the testing centre only opened at 11am, which led to the majority of the guests arriving ahead of time to get swabbed, some without their luggage.
Our Sentiments.
Royal Caribbean is constantly striving to improve guests' experience, and this change was made so guests do not have to queue without air conditioning in the Singapore heat. Hence, we welcome the switch of testing sites to Raffles City, even if it means going to two places on embarkation day. However, such situations cannot happen again.
The culprit for today's incident - two words: “at least”.
However, the main thing that went wrong today was the communication of the expected process from the cruise line to the guests. Only if the communications were worded clearer - we would be here sharing how Royal Caribbean successfully improved the testing experience for guests.
Additionally, there was no priority access for any guests residing in Star Class suites, or holding top-tier status on the Crown and Anchor Society loyalty programme.
What will hopefully change?
Hopefully, Royal Caribbean will in the coming days, share with guests embarking on upcoming voyages, to only arrive one hour ahead of their scheduled check-in time. With much clearer instructions on when to arrive, we hope that the process for the next batch of embarking guests will be way smoother than what we witnessed today.
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