Coronavirus Casts A Pall Over Cruise Industry At Height Of Booking Season

NPR ^ | February 12, 2020 | Yuki Nuguchi

[C19fan]

The Diamond Princess cruise ship has become a symbol of a global health nightmare. To date, 135 cases of the coronavirus — the infectious disease the World Health Organization is now calling COVID-19 — have been confirmed aboard the ship.

David Abel is one of the remaining 3,600 people on board, quarantined in waters off the coast of Japan until at least Feb. 19. He's been documenting life in quarantine: Medical staff doing checkups through the night, small boats ferrying supplies of food and medicine.

Abel told Britain's Channel 4 News: "24/7, we are not allowed to open the door until there is a knock on the door and they bring the food to us. Other than that, we are like prisoners."

Keeping the spread of the virus contained in those close quarters is not only a big medical and logistical challenge, it could also take a big bite out of the cruise line business this year.

[C19fan]

Any good deal to be had....

[chris37]

I would not set foot on one of these floating prisons, no way, no how, not doin’ it.

[ClearCase_guy]

Abel told Britain's Channel 4 News: "24/7, we are not allowed to open the door until there is a knock on the door and they bring the food to us. Other than that, we are like prisoners."

My wife knows a woman who got the Norovirus on a cruise. Same deal. Had to stay in the room. They knew if she opened the door and they were right on top her, forcing her back into the room. The room had no windows. It was like solitary confinement. And she paid about $4000 for the privilege.

[VastRWCon]

———I would not set foot on one of these floating prisons, no way, no how, not doin’ it.-——

Neither would I. Not even for a free trip all expense paid. Nope, nadda!

[trebb]

Not like the Cruise liners ever had a breakout of Lots of passengers getting sick before Corona came around.......

[Rio]

My in-laws are leaving this week on a 20-day Caribbean excursion. Crazy.

[GOPJ]

There’s not enough money in the world to get me on a cruise ship ...

[BobinIL]

The thing that bothers me is they quarantined this ship and now more people caught the virus. I for one would be quite upset if I was healthy and was forced to sit on a ship until I caught the virus. The survivors should have ample material for a lawsuit.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Does this put our Dec. 2020 victory cruise in jeopardy?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I made six crossings of the Pacific by the time I was 13 years old.
Each trip took two weeks.

Some folks got sea sick...

[Bonemaker]

[corkoman]

Matson’s Lurline - great passenger ship that did the Los Angeles to Honolulu run. Tons of families and lots of kids to play with. Not so good on the stabilizers.

[Gamecock]

Any good deal to be had....

LOL!

We were looking at a cruise in January. We'll just wait until all of this blows over.

[chris37]

I would definitely be sea sick. I have to avoid a lot of things due to motion sickness, and if I was on a boat and ran out of dramamine, I would get sick as a dog on that sucker.

[I want the USA back]

A cruise ship is heaven for viruses and diseases. You breathe recirculated air and cannot avoid anyone who is infected.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

My “tours” were on MSTS ships.
Seattle-Yokohama, then Yokohama-Seattle.

It was the Army’s Navy.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

The only time I ever hear about cruise ships is when some outbreak of illness occurs - a lot of risk and expense to sit and stare at open water, indoor casinos and some ports of call which most passengers never bother to explore.

For half the cost, people could fly to Europe and visit several interesting cities, with some healthy walking around thrown in as a bonus. For far less than half, you could explore parts of the US you never visited or even knew much about - I still need to visit New Mexico, the Gulf states, Wyoming...so much to still see, and you're not going to see much sitting in a cruise ship hoping not to get food poisoning or the latest virus.

[yldstrk]

Floating petrie dish, yech

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We spent a week at Dreams Resort in Huatulco, Mexico a few weeks ago.
Flew on a charter out of St. Louis.

Beautiful place and interesting tours...

[Seruzawa]

I had no desire to spend weeks in a floating casino before the coronavirus, much less now.