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…

It seems that every cruise ship currently sailing the world’s seas may come under scrutiny when looking for a port. Over the past several weeks we have been blogging about the many ships that have had their itineraries modified and due to countries’ refusing to allow them entry on fears that they may be carrying sick…

Cruise passengers aboard the MS Zaandam are facing possible quarantine after multiple passengers have shown flu-like symptoms. BusinessInsider.com reports that 13 passengers and 29 crew members are sick aboard the ship with influenza-like symptoms. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have now asked all guests to remain in their staterooms until we have more…

Earlier this month cruise passengers aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship became virtually quarantined aboard the ship off the coast of Northern California. The Grand Princess was carrying approximately 3.500 passengers, all of whom authorities eventually evacuated from the vessel. Though the passengers are aware that some of their fellow travelers previously tested positive for…

Cruise passengers from two cruise ships are set to arrive at port in Hawaii in the next few days, but Hawaiian authorities will not allow the passengers to disembark. HawaiiNewsNow.com reports that the Norwegian Jewel and the Holland American Maasdam will call on Hawaiian ports to refuel and load up on supplies. But despite neither…

It took nearly 10 days for authorities to sort out what to do with the passengers and crew of the Grand Princess cruise ship. On March 9 the ship docked at a Northern California port while carrying passengers and crew members sick with coronavirus. The previous Princess ship that found itself in a similar situation, the Diamond…

Despite the heightened concern among cruise passengers during the ongoing international coronavirus pandemic, it appears that cruise officials have still not learned how to handle the long-reaching ramifications of sailing with COVID-19-positive passengers.  MiamiHerald.com reports that in early March a passenger aboard the MSC Meraviglia cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19. Despite the positive test, those…

Days after major cruise companies announced that they would stop sailing for 30 days in order to help combat the spread of coronavirus, passengers and crew aboard a Bahamas-flagged ship have tested positive for the virus. The Fred Olsen ship Braemar was on its way to the Bahamas Friday night when the ship’s officials expressed…

Today President Donald Trump announced that all major cruise lines have agreed to suspend cruising for 30 days.  At my request, effective midnight tonight, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC have all agreed to suspend outbound cruises for thirty days. It is a great and important industry – it will be kept that way! —…

As the world continues to respond to the worsening coronavirus outbreak, the cruise industry has been one of the hardest industries hit. Health authorities have been warning for years that cruise ships, under the wrong circumstances, can act as a virtual petri dish for the spread of disease. Coronavirus is proving this to be true.  In…

Cruise ship passengers who have been affected by various coronavirus outbreaks have seen their lives significantly affected. Thousands of travelers have been confined to the vessels under quarantine, not only unable to leave the ships but unable to leave their staterooms for days and weeks on end. Now, a Florida couple is suing a major…