Arbitrary covid requirements ruined first cruise experience.

We arrived forty-five minutes prior to our assigned check-in time and spent the entire time in a long, slow-moving line exposed to cold, windy weather. We complied with all pre-cruise testing and check-in requirements, and waited patiently in this congested line. My family was sailing on our first cruise, with my two sons under age 12, who we chose not to vaccinate due to health concerns. They both tested negative in pre-cruise testing and both have covid four months previous to sailing. At the port, because of the long lines, though we pre-registered for our in-port test, we didn’t actually make it to the testing facility till there was only 45 minutes till the ship was supposed to sail. One son tested negative, the second one came back inconclusive. So we tested again. After waiting for an additional 25 minutes, with only 10 minutes till sailing and the with the staff around us packing up to leave, they informed us that our son’s test came back positive and he could not board. Despite my family having driven in the same car and spent hours in line together, Royal Caribbean offered the REST of us passage. This leads me to believe the covid requirements were arbitrary, since if they were truly concerned about spread, they certainly wouldn’t offer passage to the rest of the same family, which included one other unvaccinated individual. The employees were able to retrieve our luggage, but a few minutes later, asked us to leave the building as they were closing up shop. This was before we’d secured our vehicle or even knew what we were going to do. So we were forced outside the building and literally had to watch the ship we’d been denied passage on sail away. There was nowhere to shield us from this sight, it was still windy and chill, and we now had no access to bathroom facilities, power sources, or protection from the weather. I understand certain health protocols are out of their control, but we felt as though Royal Caribbean had no contingencies in place if a family was denied boarding at the last minute and they simply had to kick us out. My son tested negative for covid 18 hours later at a local clinic, and another 24 hours later by an at-home test, so we suspect we may have gotten a false positive.

I didn't participate, as I wasn't on board.

My children didn't use any, as we were denied boarding.

The staff at the port did their best to accommodate us, but they clearly hadn't been given any tools for dealing with our situation, and ended up kicking us out of the building before we'd figured out what to do after being denied boarding.

It looked fine from the outside.

Can't say as I never entered the ship.

Our embarkation and disembarkation were at the same time, so they both left much to be desired.