Illnesses on cruises are at a record high in 2023
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“We have also seen a surge in bookings, with June showing our highest booking levels for Alaska cruises since early 2020,” she says. Vaccine requirements are purely dependent on the destinations being visited on each Oceania cruise. Passengers are advised to be up to date on the latest regulations for all destinations on their cruise itinerary. As was the case even before the pandemic, you will be asked at embarkation to fill out a questionnaire inquiring about your current health status and whether you currently have any symptoms of illness. In case anyone was interested, there were about 25 people in isolation on disembarkation day, and a number of others reported in a Facebook group post (since removed) of feeling sick after getting home.
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Health authorities say a dual outbreak of COVID-19 and gastroenteritis onboard a cruise liner is now over after it docked in Adelaide with only a handful of sick passengers. A cruise ship that docked in Adelaide this week has garnered national headlines due to a simultaneous outbreak of COVID-19 and gastroenteritis. The result is the detection of many asymptomatic cases that otherwise would have gone undetected. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 5,013 COVID-19 cases had been reported on cruise vessels operating in U.S. waters during the last two weeks of the month, up from just 162 cases during the first two weeks of the month. COVID-19 policies for ocean and river cruise lines differ; bookmark this page to keep track of the following companies’ vaccination policies — it will be updated regularly as regulations change.
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It was no fun being sick (and still does since we are still recovering as of my writing this) and missing out the last few days of the cruise. But, overall Royal Caribbean did a reasonable job of handling the situation. It reminded me of an earlier story posted on Royal Caribbean Blog about what to expect. Since there hasn't been any recent reported updates about this, I figured I would report our experience in case someone else should have to experience the situation.
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With the discontinuation of the CDC’s program, cruise lines are announcing updated COVID-19 protocols. Take, for instance, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., the parent company for Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. No vaccine or testing required except on certain Seabourn itineraries where a country may have specific requirements. I assume because my explained symptoms were slightly different from my wife's, I was given an allergy medicine, which was good since I was now running out, Thera-Flu, and cough crops. Based on this, we contacted medical, and were told to come over to their office on deck 2 forward and to wear masks. Royal Caribbean will also allow passengers on U.S. cruises to take a home test or one "professionally administered by a health professional" starting Sept. 5 according to its website.
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"Our onboard medical facilities are staffed by full-time registered doctors and nurses." Epidemiologist Professor Catherine Bennett says there are many steps holiday-goers can take to minimise the risk of illness during their time off. That means you could call the line right now to back out of a cruise that is just days away. In normal times, you'd lose all your money if you backed out of a seven-night Norwegian cruise with fewer than 31 days' notice.
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Credits for canceled cruises and pent-up demand meant cruise lines had no trouble filling their ships in 2021. Pricing remained stable—no need for the lines to discount fares—throughout the year. But things are different this year, what with reduced restrictions on cruise ships and delayed or canceled flights across the country.
But travelers worried about getting sick aboard a cruise ship can rest assured that cruise lines aren’t sailing solo in the continuing pandemic. It’ll still publish guidelines so cruise ships can provide a safe environment for passengers and crew members. The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) requires cruise ships to log and report the number of passengers and crew who say they have symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. Learn more about illnesses and outbreaks reported to VSP and find information about outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships. Norovirus cases aboard cruise ships were on a steady decline between 2006 and 2019, according to CDC data.
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Travelers who are not fully vaccinated must continue to show proof of a negative test test taken one to three days before their trip, though they will no longer need to take an additional test at the terminal on embarkation day. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released the results of its Vessel Sanitation Program inspections, showing which ships are the most sanitary, and which have room for improvement. Even though you may be tempted to conceal your illness, you would be doing a great disservice to the other passengers and the crew on the cruise by keeping it a secret. People also are more likely to get sick now since pandemic restrictions have been lifted. For the past few years, people have not been exposed to as many common viruses and illnesses and now that exposure is rising, illnesses are bound to rise as well.
Scrivanich’s clients are also pleased with what they find on board the ships. “Guest feedback is positive on all metrics including service, cuisine, programs, cleanliness of the ship and more,” she says. According to Scrivanich, cruise lines are currently sailing between 70% and 100% capacity, depending on the destination.
The CDC emphasizes that travelers should make sure they're up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines before taking a cruise, in addition to following their ship's requirements and recommendations against the virus. Cruise ships in particular have many of the conditions that make people susceptible to norovirus—close quarters, enclosed spaces, communal dining, and high turnover of passengers. "Ships [are another] key one where we have, in the past, also had foodborne disease or other person-to-person outbreaks being reported, even before the pandemic." Despite the dual illnesses, health authorities declared the outbreak over when the cruise liner docked, while only a handful of passengers, on a ship that can hold 4,000, became ill.
Because individual cruise lines determine their ships’ COVID-19-related requirements, your likelihood of catching coronavirus while at sea will depend on the specific ship’s guidelines and restrictions. Generally speaking, going on a cruise does pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission. As the CDC states, the virus spreads easily in close quarters on ships, and passengers and crew are all at risk. Vaccines and precruise testing are generally not required to sail with Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
If being fully vaccinated is required, that means having received the original series of vaccines at least 14 days prior to your cruise, or the original series plus a booster shot or shots. For tickets starting at $2,699 per-person, double occupancy rate, 1,970 passengers get to enjoy a spa treatments, fine meals, and pickleball at sea. For 160 of them, and 26 members of its 813-person staff, the journey also featured a gastrointestinal illness. Most vessels have received scores in the high 90s — only one cruise ship, the MSC Seaside, has failed the CDC's sanitation inspection so far this year.
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