Cruise Ship

For the past several weeks, as the remaining cruise ship passengers were finally being brought ashore from their ships, we have begun to cover the plight of the crew members who remain aboard the vessels. Due to lack of contact, there has been scant reporting about the crew members’ health statuses. But if one recent…

Saying that the cruise industry is in trouble would be a significant understatement. Cruise companies are currently the subject of mass cancellations and refunds, even as former passengers file lawsuits due to the companies’ handling of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. Add to that the fact that thousands of cruise ship crew members are still unable…

Crew members of the Sky Princess cruise ship have been aboard the ship for approximately 40 days, already several weeks longer than expected. And they are unsure exactly when they will be allowed to disembark from the ship and go home. The Sky Princess is currently being held off the coast of Florida. According to crew member…

In a statement today, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that it would be extending its no-sale period into the early summer.  Your safety is our #1 priority—both on and off our ships. We are extending the suspension of all sailings across our fleet through June 30, 2020. For more information please visit: https://t.co/TzIVK9eONB pic.twitter.com/5krcCpMwfK — Cruise…

Despite its ongoing work on the numerous cruise ship coronavirus outbreaks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continues to work on other cruise-related sanitation issues. Before coronavirus, the CDC’s primary cruise ship virus outbreak concern was likely norovirus, which has been responsible for several outbreaks per year. In fact, in 2019, 10 European cruise ships…

After months of terrible news for cruise ship passengers, the majority of them have now left the ships to either seek medical treatment or go home. But the same cannot be said for the ships’ crew members. Hundreds of cruise workers are currently stuck aboard the vessels, unable to go home or disembark at the…

Currently, most cruise companies across the world are under a months-long cruise moratorium, leaving very few ships in the ocean’s waters. But cruising will resume someday, probably slowly but surely over the summer. In the meantime, cruise industry watchers are speculating about major changes that cruise companies and governments will likely make to the way…

Above all else, cruise lines are businesses. They exist to make a profit for their investors and shareholders. Time and time again we have seen the major cruise lines put profit first, even over their passengers’ safety. The Costa Concordia and Carnival Triumph come to mind.  The latest news relating to how the cruise industry handled…

COVID-19 and Legionnaires’ Disease share several aspects in common. Both conditions have symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Both illnesses are particularly dangerous for individuals over the age of 50, or those with chronic lung diseases, weakened immune systems or smoking habits. However, the two illnesses differ in the way they spread and…

Cruise ships across the world are currently under a sailing moratorium that will likely last for several months. Practically no new cruises are setting sail due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But despite the lack of new sailings, there are still several cruise ships sailing about in the world’s waters, and others that are currently…

Cruise companies will not be allowed to sail for up to 100 days after the Centers for Disease Control issued the industry a “no sail” order. FloridaToday.com reports that the order will likely further hurt South Florida’s tourism industry, which is already reeling from a nationwide reduction in travel. The report says that one of…

According to CNN.com, of 217 people aboard an Arctic cruise ship, the Greg Mortimer, 128 have tested positive for COVID-19. The situation is so desperate that the ship has been unable to disembark its passengers and has been on hold off the coast of Uruguay for several days. Uruguayan authorities have taken only six passengers from…

At this point, it is common knowledge that cruise ships are one of the ways that coronavirus spread has throughout the world. In the coming weeks and months, the cruise industry will undoubtedly come under intense scrutiny for its handling of the outbreak. Yesterday we blogged about a cruise ship employee who told her story…

As far as venues for the transmission of COVID-19 goes, cruise ships have probably been the most prolific. Well over 1,000 cruise ship passengers have contracted the virus while aboard the vessels. Over a dozen have died, though some of those deaths have not been officially declared as stemming from coronavirus.  A recent CNN report…

The Coral Princess cruise ship arrived at Port Miami today, carrying several passengers who were sick with COVID-19. Authorities pronounced two people aboard the ship dead, and fear that they may have died from the virus.  CNN.com reports that the Coral Princess set sail on March 5 from Chile. The voyage was planned to end March 19 in…

The Celebrity Infinity cruise ship is in a holding pattern off the coast of Florida, filled with crew members who have not been able to leave the ship during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After the successful docking of the Holland America ships Zandaam and Rotterdam yesterday, it is still unclear what will happen to the ships’ crew…

After weeks of uncertainty, cruise passengers who have spent the last couple of weeks at sea have finally arrived at port. We have been blogging about the plight of the passengers aboard the Holland America MS Zaandam since Chilean authorities denied the ship’s passengers the ability to disembark the ship on March 14. The passengers were…

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a statement to foreign-flagged cruise ships carrying sick passengers: stay away from the U.S. The directive comes at an especially sensitive time for the cruise companies as over a dozen cruise ships remain at sea. At least three of them are currently headed toward Florida with hopes of docking…

Over the past several days Florida officials have been debating whether to allow two Holland America cruise ships dock, after many of the ships’ passengers have come down with flu-like symptoms. Several of the ship’s passengers have tested positive for COVID-19. Yesterday Florida’s governor Rick DeSantis expressed his opposition to allowing the ships to dock, while Senator…

The latest saga involving cruise ships and coronavirus is occurring right now as the Holland America ships MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam head toward Florida. Together, the ships are carrying over two thousand passengers and crew and are currently set to head toward the United States from the coast of Panama. Many Florida residents, including leading politicians,…

A couple from Seminole County, Florida, along with thousands of other passengers and crew, is effectively trapped aboard the fated Holland America cruise ship MS Zaandam.  ClickOrlando.com reports that Laura Gabaroni and Juan Huergo originally set sail aboard the Zaandam on a 14-day itinerary which was to last from March 7 through March 21 and travel throughout South…

Just days ago the officials with Holland America expressed hope that its troubled ship, the MS Zaandam, would dock at Florida on March 30. Now that plan is in significant doubt after company officials reported that four passengers aboard the ship have died and two more have tested positive for coronavirus. Every day it seems that…

The cruise industry is in trouble. Cruise companies have voluntarily agreed to suspend sailings for 30 days, robbing the industry of much-needed revenue until mid-April. Today, Royal Caribbean and Princess announced that they would extend their suspension until May, further extending the financial pain. And now the industry is bracing for news that it may be…

The saga of the Holland America ship MS Zaandam keeps getting more complicated. After passengers and crew members aboard the ship came down with flu-like symptoms, the Zaandam found itself unable to port due to worldwide heightened precautions relating to coronavirus. Yesterday we blogged that the Zaandam was finally headed to Florida and set to…