sydney cruise ship covid outbreak

Cruise ship docks in Sydney after 800 people on board infected by COVID outbreak

• A cruise ship where 800 people on board have tested positive for COVID has docked in Sydney.
• The president of the cruise operator said cases began to rise halfway through the voyage. 
•  54,661 cases of COVID were reported across Australia in the last week. 

A cruise ship suffering a major COVID outbreak has docked in Sydney, Australia.

The BBC reports that approximately 4,600 passengers and crew were aboard the luxury Majestic Princess, and 800 people were affected by the outbreak of the viral bug. 

President of the cruise operator Carnival Australia Marguerite Fitzgerald told ABC Australia that they began seeing many cases halfway through the 12-day cruise around New Zealand, with all cases either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. 

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She told the news outlet, "Reflective of the increase in community transmissions, we too have seen more guests test positive for COVID-19 on the current voyage of Majestic Princess. This is a result of mass testing of our 3,300 guests."

She added that staff would be assisting all COVID-positive guests "with accessing private transport and accommodation to complete their isolation period," according to ABC. 

One passenger told ABC, per The Guardian: "It was scary because we heard about it, but of course, we tested negative, and the Majestic Princess were really good with the protocols. [We] wore masks for these last seven days, and we were very careful when we went ashore."

Carnival Australia did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. 

COVID cases are spiking across Australia, with 54,661 cases reported across the country in the last week, said The Guardian.

According to Reuters , Australian authorities have been working to assure the public that this ship outbreak is under control. Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said that authorities had created "regular protocols" since the March-April 2020 Ruby Princess outbreak when hundreds caught COVID-19-linked an Australian cruise around the coast of New Zealand, and 28 people died.

O'Neil told Reuters that the authorities are determining how to get passengers off the Majestic Princess "on a case-by-case basis."

The ship will soon depart for Melbourne, Australia.

Watch: The rise and fall of the cruise industry

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Hundreds of COVID-19 positive passengers disembark Majestic Princess after cruise ship docks in Sydney

Carnival Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald confirmed 800 COVID cases had been recorded onboard the Majestic Princess, and the majority of infections were among passengers. 

Hundreds of COVID-19 positive travellers are disembarking a cruise ship docked in Sydney this morning, with passengers advised not to catch public transport home. 

The Majestic Princess carried 3,300 guests and 1,300 crew on a 12-day cruise to New Zealand, with at least 20 per cent of passengers contracting COVID-19.

Speaking in Circular Quay where the vessel docked on Saturday morning, Carnival Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald confirmed 800 COVID cases had been recorded, and the majority of infections were among passengers. 

“We have been proactively preparing for and managing incidences of COVID-19 and working with NSW Health,” she told reporters.

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“We started to see elevated cases about half way through this voyage.”

Ms Fitzgerald said most infected guests had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic and had been isolating in their cabins. 

Passengers who tested negative for the virus were allowed to disembark the cruise ship first, those who tested positive exited on a deck-by-deck basis through a separate door. 

Ms Fitzgerald said COVID positive passengers were advised not to use public transport when they disembark. 

“To help all our guests return home, we are working with all guests who have tested positive for COVID-19 to assist them with accessing private transport and accommodation to complete their isolation period,” she said.

“As they are getting off, they have advised how they will be returning home.”

NSW Health on Friday night ranked the Majestic Princess as a tier three COVID risk level, which indicates a high level of transmission.

All guests onboard were advised to wear masks and were required to take a rapid antigen test in the last 24 hours to determine how they would disembark.

Uninfected guests disembarking the Majestic Princess on Saturday morning told the Daily Telegraph they were satisfied with the precautions taken by the cruise line. 

“We felt safe most of the time … they were cleaning the whole time,” passenger Sharon Leslie told the publication.

Sharon Kluger said the cruise line kept passengers informed as the outbreak worsened. 

“We weren’t worried about COVID, we were just doing our own thing and wearing our masks,” she said.

It comes as Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant warned New South Wales had entered its fourth COVID-19 wave. 

There are currently 974 COVID-19 patients in NSW hospitals including 32 in ICU, while this week cases jumped from 12,450 to 19,800.

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clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

A cruise ship with 800 covid cases docks in Sydney

An earlier version of this story said the Ruby Princess cruise ship is owned by Carnival Cruise Line. The ship is owned by the Carnival Corporation. The story has been corrected.

A cruise ship carrying some 800 people who have tested positive for the coronavirus docked in downtown Sydney on Saturday, triggering memories of a deadly ship-related outbreak in Australia’s largest city in the early, pre-vaccine days of the pandemic.

The Majestic Princess, which returned from New Zealand, is carrying more than 4,000 people, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC). Princess Cruises, the cruise line, said in a statement that all guests onboard took a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of disembarking and that passengers who had tested positive would exit separately and not take public transport. Australia no longer requires people who have tested positive for the virus to isolate, though local authorities have issued guidance that covid patients onboard ships should isolate for five days after testing positive.

“Our onboard medical team will continue to support guests until they disembark,” Princess Cruises said in a statement. It did not respond to a question about whether customers who had tested positive could isolate onboard until they recovered, though the company said it would help guests access accommodation for isolation. The Majestic Princess was scheduled to soon sail to Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city.

The health department of New South Wales, the state in which Sydney is located, said in a separate statement that patients had been isolating onboard. State authorities said that there was a “Tier 3” covid risk level aboard the Majestic Princess, indicating a “high level of transmission.”

Cruise ships have been a potent incubator for the coronavirus. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitored such ships for transmission at sea for about two years ; it also warned against cruise travel amid the omicron spike during last year’s holiday season. The CDC still recommends getting vaccinated and taking a coronavirus test before boarding a cruise ship.

In early 2020, Carnival Corporation’s Ruby Princess allowed thousands of passengers to disembark in Sydney, placing the cruise ship at the center of one of Australia’s largest covid outbreaks. At least 28 people died and 700 cases were linked to the ship, according to the ABC . Another Carnival ship, the Diamond Princess , also logged 12 Covid-related fatalities earlier that year, including the first Australian national to die of the virus.

But the country has since lifted coronavirus restrictions on international travel: Proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test are no longer required for entry, and mask-wearing on international flights is encouraged but not mandatory, according to Australia’s Department of Health and Aged Care.

The absence of restrictions is a far cry from how Australia first handled the pandemic. Sydney, the commercial capital, enacted a 106-day lockdown in 2021, while Melbourne endured the world’s longest stay-at-home lockdown. Australia also closed its borders to nearly all international travelers for nearly two years , reopening in February. It deported tennis ace Novak Djokovic for being unvaccinated, preventing him from competing in this year’s Australian Open. The country has one of the lowest covid death rates in the Western world.

One side effect of cruise covid rules: Norovirus has plummeted

Australia’s reopening came after it achieved one of the world’s highest immunization rates. As of Nov. 9, nearly 96 percent of residents older than 16 have received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine . The country of 25.7 million people reported a seven-day rolling average of 12 deaths on Friday, or about half that of a month ago.

But New South Wales authorities said this week that the state had entered a new wave of the pandemic, and some medical experts fear that the upcoming holiday season will trigger a spike in infections that could challenge the hospital system in a country that has removed virtually all curbs on the virus.

“If the major public hospitals on the east coast aren’t overwhelmed with patients and facing staff shortages over the holiday break - I’ll donate $1000 to charity,” tweeted physician Steve Robson, president of the Australian Medical Association, in response to news of infections on board the Majestic Princess. (Most of Australia’s population lives on its east coast.)

Katerina Ang contributed to this report.

Second cruise ship with COVID-19 outbreak docks in Sydney; fourth wave may peak next week

This is your latest weekly update on covid-19 in australia..

The Majestic Princess cruise docked in Sydney on Thursday with positive cases followed by The Celebrity Eclipse on Friday. Both ships have been classified as tier 2, which means they both carried 30-99 COVID-19 positive cases per 1,000 people and their staff was impacted too. (file) Source: AAP / DEAN LEWINS/AAPIMAGE

• Dr Kerry Chant says the number of new cases will start declining from next week in NSW
• Moderna begins constructing its mRNA vaccine facility in Melbourne
• Global COVID-19 deaths decline by 15 per cent last week: WHO

Going on a cruise in the Christmas holidays? Here’s what you need to know

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Cruise Ship With 800 Covid-Positive Passengers And Crew Docked In Sydney

After cases soared, a cruise ship with 800 Covid-positive passengers docked in Sydney , Australia.The wave of infections spread around both passengers and crew members on a cruise ship sailing from New Zealand.

The Majestic Princess cruise ship was halfway through a 12- day voyage when the outbreak happened. Cases increasingly spread which led to mass Covid-19 testing for 3,300 passengers on board. Of these passengers, 800 tested positive alongside a few crew members.

According to CNN, the ship had 4,600 passengers and crew on board in total.

Related: Disney Cruise Line Presents Marvel Day At Sea

Cruise ship with 800 Covid-positive passengers docked in Sydney:

The uptick in cases has been linked to the rise of infections in Australia.

In a media briefing, Carnival Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald told reporters that a large number of the cases were detected at least halfway into the voyage, adding that all cases were either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.

She also highlighted that all guests who tested positive will have help “with accessing private transport and accommodation to complete their isolation period”. Fitzgerald added that Carnival Australia maintains the most stringent of measures to keep all safe onboard, including requiring 95% of guests over the age of 12 to be vaccinated and testing staff and passengers for Covid before they board.

The incident is reminiscent of the outbreak on the ship Ruby Princess, which belongs to the same operator, earlier in the pandemic. When asked about the comparison, the BBC shares that Fitzgerald responded: “Since then, we as a community have learnt a lot, a lot more about Covid.”

According to reports, the Majestic Princess will soon depart for Melbourne.

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More than 800 covid patients arrive in sydney on majestic princess.

COVID-filled cruise ship docks in Sydney

A cruise ship carrying around 800 travellers infected with Covid has docked in Sydney.

The Majestic Princess arrived at Circular Quay on Saturday just before 6am, and many passengers sat on their balconies to watch the ship dock in the harbour, many wearing masks.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: The Majestic Princess arrives in Sydney.

Ambulance crews were on hand at the overseas passenger terminal as passengers prepared to disembark the vessel, which has just finished a 12-day tour of New Zealand.

It is estimated that almost one in four guests on board the luxury liner Majestic Princess have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

The cruise ship outbreak means this is the largest outbreak in Australia since the Ruby Princess docked in 2020.

A spokesman for Princess Cruises confirmed the Covid outbreak in a statement.

“Reflective of the increase in community transmission, we too have seen more guests test positive for Covid-19 on the current voyage of Majestic Princess,” the statement said.

“These guests are mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic and are isolating in their staterooms.

“All unimpacted guests are wearing masks and this will continue when they disembark in Sydney. We have been proactively preparing for and managing incidences of Covid-19 and continue to work closely with NSW Health including adhering to their guidelines.”

It is understood that private transport has been arranged for impacted guests to isolate at a site of their choice, be it their home, a hotel or another location.

The eastern seaboard and cruise protocols state that passengers and crew who test positive for Covid-19 “must isolate for five full days from the date of their positive test result.”

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Covid-hit Coral Princess cruise ship docks in Sydney

Passengers must record a rapid antigen test before disembarking but crew remain onboard

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A cruise ship with more than 100 Covid-19 positive people onboard has docked in Sydney .

After departing Eden on the New South Wales south coast with more than 2,300 people onboard, the Coral Princess berthed at Circular Quay just before dawn on Wednesday, where it will remain for a day before returning to its home port of Brisbane.

Passengers will have to record a negative result on a rapid antigen test before disembarking but the crew will have to remain.

The outbreak mostly involves infected crew members, with 114 in isolation on Tuesday.

Four passengers were also isolating after positive results, and 24 earlier disembarked in Brisbane , according to Queensland’s chief health officer, John Gerrard.

NSW Health said passengers who tested positive had probably taken the virus onboard with them rather than becoming infected at sea.

The ship docked in Eden on Tuesday, where about 800 passengers disembarked after returning negative tests.

The Eden-Monaro MP and NSW regional development minister, Kristy McBain, said locals had been happy to see the ship dock after bushfires and the pandemic impacted the region.

“When you’ve got towns that rely on tourism it’s been an incredibly difficult couple of years,” McBain told Sydney radio 2GB on Tuesday. “Hopefully this will be the first of many cruise ships to dock this season ... There’s been significant investment into the Port of Eden so that cruise ships could dock in town.”

A Princess Cruises spokesperson said the crew who had tested positive were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.

At the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, another Princess cruise liner – the Ruby Princess – was briefly linked to one in eight NSW coronavirus cases.

The latest cruise ship outbreak comes as concern grows about the growing spread of the B.4 and B.5 Omicron subvariants that could reinfect people who have already had the virus.

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The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee has advised shortening the period people are considered immune to the virus to four weeks, requiring people experiencing symptoms more than 28 days after they left isolation to get tested again.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has criticised the end of free rapid antigen tests for concession card holders and called for the government to extend it beyond July.

“Case numbers and hospitalisations are still rising every single day,” said the society’s president, Fei Sim. “Governments should be encouraging more testing, not less.”

Australia recorded 41,336 new coronavirus cases and 58 related deaths on Tuesday.

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Carnival ruled negligent over cruise where 662 passengers got COVID-19 early in pandemic

Susan Karpik speaks to media outside the Federal Court in Sydney, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Karpik was the lead plaintiff in the case against British-American cruise operator Carnival and its subsidiary Princess Cruises that an Australian judge ruled failed to cancel a voyage from Sydney that led to a major COVID-19 outbreak had been negligent in its duty of care to passengers. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A cruise operator that failed to cancel a voyage from Sydney that led to a major COVID-19 outbreak was ruled negligent in its duty of care to passengers in an Australian class-action case Wednesday.

The Ruby Princess ocean liner left Sydney on March 8, 2020, with 2,671 passengers aboard for a 13-day cruise to New Zealand but returned in 11 days as Australia’s borders were closing. COVID-19 spread to 663 passengers and claimed 28 lives.

Passenger Susan Karpik was the lead plaintiff in the case against British-American cruise operator Carnival and its subsidiary Princess Cruises, the ship’s owner.

Federal Court Justice Angus Stewart ruled that Carnival had been negligent as defined by Australian consumer law by allowing the cruise to depart in the early months of the pandemic. He said Carnival had a duty to take reasonable care of her health and safety in regard to COVID-19.

“I have found that before the embarkation of passengers on the Ruby Princess for the cruise in question, the respondents knew or ought to have known about the heightened risk of coronavirus infection on the vessel and its potentially lethal consequences and that their procedures for screening passengers and crew members for the virus were unlikely to screen out all infectious individuals,” Stewart said.

Carnival had already experienced outbreaks on its cruises in the previous month aboard the Grand Princess off California and the Diamond Princess off Japan, the judge said.

Carnival had failed to explain why it offered free cancellation for all cruises worldwide leaving from March 9 — the day after the Ruby Princess departed — and suspended all cruises on March 13, he said.

“To the respondents’ knowledge, to proceed with the cruise carried significant risk of a coronavirus outbreak with possible disastrous consequences, yet they proceeded regardless,” Stewart said.

Susan Karpik had sued Carnival for more than 360,000 Australian dollars ($230,000).

However, she was only awarded her out-of-pocket medical expenses of AU$4,423.48 ($2,823.28) for reasons including that the judge did not accept she suffered from long COVID and that Carnival had refunded all the passengers’ fares.

But she said she was happy with the outcome.

“I was very pleased with that finding. And I hope the other passengers are pleased with that finding too,” she told reporters outside court.

“I hope the finding brings some comfort to them because they’ve all been through the mill and back,” she added.

Her lawyer Vicky Antzoulatos said other passengers who suffered worse consequences from their sickness could expect larger payouts.

While Susan Karpik’s symptoms were relatively mild, her husband Henry Karpik spent two months in hospital and almost died from his infection.

“Susan’s husband was very catastrophically injured, so we expect that he will have a substantial claim, and that will be the same for a number of the passengers on the ship,” Antzoulatos said.

Each passenger will have to prove their claims unless Carnival agrees to settle, she said.

“It’s been a long time coming and a very comprehensive victory for the passengers on the Ruby Princess,” Antzoulatos said.

Carnival Australia said in a statement it was considering the judgment in detail.

“The pandemic was a difficult time in Australia’s history, and we understand how heartbreaking it was for those affected,” Carnival said.

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A nurse and mother of two says passengers on-board the Pacific Explorer cruise ship are to blame for the second outbreak of Covid at sea in the last week.

The P&O Pacific Explorer was about to end a nine-day round trip to Queensland when it recorded at least 100 Covid-19 cases on-board.

It is the second cruise ship in Australian waters to face an outbreak in less than a week after the Coral Princess reported 130 cases.

Sasha Pauline and her family were among 2800 passengers and staff on-board the Pacific Explorer when the captain announced there was an outbreak three days ago.

“It was fairly well controlled at first,” Ms Pauline, a nurse at Cowra Hospital, told NCA NewsWire.

She said staff started to move infected passengers onto a different deck to isolate them from other passengers.

All passengers who tested positive were confined to these cabins, which were marked with red tags on the door to stop staff from entering.

“From the start, P&O were amazing, it was individual passengers that were playing up,” Ms Pauline said.

She said hand sanitiser was kept near every lift and high-touch area, while staff handed out fresh masks at the entrance to every indoor area.

However, Ms Pauline witnessed passengers wilfully ignoring measures designed to protect them from an outbreak.

Signs outside lifts advised passengers to ride with members of their travelling group or a maximum of six people at one time.

“Even this morning, we hopped in the lift and a lady jumps in – on the phone, no mask, yelling at the top of her voice,” Ms Pauline said.

“And then more and more people are piling in.”

The family had a great time on-board the Pacific Explorer, but Ms Pauline said other passengers not following the rules had forced them to rethink future plans.

“The kids hadn’t been on a cruise before and they loved it,” she said.

“But we’ve made the decision, we won’t be going on another one until Covid either ends or settles.

“I don’t want to take it home to my parents or my workplace, it’s really not worth it.”

It will be a logistic exercise to get all passengers – including those who tested positive – off the cruise ship ahead of its next four-night cruise to Moreton Island departing on Monday.

Passengers who want to avoid isolation will have to provide a negative rapid antigen test.

Those who have tested positive and live nearby will be transported home to isolate once they leave the ship.

Interstate passengers will spend their isolation period in a hotel paid for by P & O cruises.

Refunds will be offered to passengers who were forced to spend their cruise stuck inside their cabin.

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Coronavirus

Coronavirus COVID-19 cruise ship Coral Princess docks in NSW as testing policy changes

A cruise ship with a COVID-19 outbreak among crew and passengers has arrived in New South Wales today as the state government announces a key change to its reinfection policy.

Key points:

• Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly, says the new, more infectious sub-variants present "another curve ball"
• About 100 people on board the Coral Princess have so far tested positive to COVID-19 ahead of it docking in NSW
• There are currently 2,049 infected patients in hospital across the state, with 58 in intensive care

Queensland Health said 118 people on board the Carnival Australia ship, Coral Princess, had tested positive to the virus since it left Brisbane on Sunday.

Of those cases, 114 are crew members and four are passengers.

The ship with more than 2,300 guests and crew onboard, docked in Eden on the NSW South Coast today, the first cruise liner to return to the town since COVID-19 shut the industry down two years ago.

The ship is also scheduled to be in Sydney for one day on Wednesday.

Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said 24 people with COVID disembarked in Brisbane and were all isolating.

The others are isolating on the ship as per normal protocol.

Dr Gerrard said COVID protocols on cruise ships were "very adequate".

"There's a great deal of detail in those protocols and requirements on the cruising industry," Dr Gerrard said.

"There's [been] considerable thought from public health officials and epidemiologists ... into putting these protocols in place.

"Anyone who goes on a cruise shop will hopefully be up to date with vaccinations."

Dr Gerrard said it was "inevitable" there would be outbreaks on cruise ships.

"To keep this virus off these ships where there are thousands of people in the middle of a pandemic is extraordinarily difficult."

A spokesman for Carnival Australia said recent screening found some crew recorded positive tests and were placed in isolation away from passengers. 

The spokesman said the number of cases identified by Queensland Health were “overwhelmingly among crew who were isolated on board in line with the protocols that have effectively supported the resumption of cruising in Australia since May".

However, one passenger, Wendy, told ABC Brisbane she tested positive on board, and was not told about positive cases on board the ship until the night before she disembarked in Brisbane.

"That night, my husband started feeling ill, he had the chills and so now he's still sick coughing," Wendy said.

"I had a terrible night, I've been coughing all night. It definitely isn't the dream holiday."

Wendy said some guests on board the cruise ship wore masks, while others did not.

"There was a lot of people coughing, and when we boarded, they were coughing in the line that we were waiting at the cruise terminal," she said.

Wendy said guests were expected to wash their hands before going to the buffet, but the crew were not always around to monitor. 

"The buffet, unbelievably, is still in operation and you serve yourself," she said.

"There's tongs, but if you touch your face or you cough, there's no glass covering the food — I think that should have been canned straight away."

On July 9, a passenger received a letter while on the cruise, alerting them to a breakout of COVID amongst crew.

"We would like to notify you of elevated positive case numbers amongst crew members currently aboard Coral Princess," the letter said. 

"We continue to test all crew members and isolate any that return a positive result along with their close contacts."

The outbreak comes as NSW Health announced its official reinfection period was being revised from 12 weeks down to four weeks, as the latest sub-variants of Omicron circulate in the community.

It means that people who develop symptoms any time after 28 days from their last COVID-19 isolation period may have caught the virus again and must take a test.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the reduced reinfection period follows advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.

"The Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants are circulating widely in New South Wales," Dr Chant said. 

"They are more able to evade immunity gained from previous infection and vaccination reinfection is more likely and possible just weeks after a prior infection."

There are currently 2,049 infected patients in hospital in NSW, with 58 in intensive care.

A Carnival Cruises spokesman said it had asked its passengers disembarking in Eden today to wear a mask where appropriate, and be mindful of the local community.

Wendy and Bruno Lucchese are passengers onboard the Coral Princess and spent the day exploring Eden.

They said Carnival Cruises contacted them about the COVID-19 cases onboard before the ship departed, but that it didn't deter them.

"They sent us an email to say that some of the crew had COVID and if we wished to cancel then we could," Ms Lucchese said.

"But we figured we'd cancel this one and then we go on another and the same thing could happen again.

"You just have to get on with life."

Local resident and Cruise Eden volunteer Barb Westmacott said it was a needed boost for the town's economy.

"We've really missed [them,] it's been a very long two years," she said.

"The population doubles whenever the ship is in town and that's just brilliant for our local community."

No crew members will disembark and all passengers disembarking will be requested to return a negative RAT result first.

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Norovirus outbreaks linked to 2 cruise ships with over 150 infected

A total of 161 passengers have reported falling ill during voyages on princess cruises' sapphire princess and royal caribbean international's radiance of the seas.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating two seemingly separate outbreaks of Norovirus linked to U.S. cruise ships.

Cases have been linked to Princess Cruises' Sapphire Princess and Royal Caribbean International's Radiance of the Seas.

The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) is tracking the "very contagious" outbreaks following reports of passengers in distress .

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The Radiance of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, is pictured docked at a port in Seward, Alaska. (iStock)

Approximately 67 out of 1,993 passengers on the Radiance of the Seas reported falling ill during its voyage from Tampa to Los Angeles between Apr. 8 and 22. An additional two crew members also reported illness . 

The predominant symptoms reported from those affected by the Norovirus were diarrhea and vomiting.

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A view of the sign at the Center for Disease Control headquarters is seen in Atlanta, Georgia. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Approximately 94 of 2,532 passengers on the Sapphire Princess reported similar symptoms during its voyage from Los Angeles into the South Pacific that began Apr. 5 and is scheduled to conclude on May 7.

An additional 20 members of the 1,066 crew reported symptoms as well.

Fox Business reached out to both Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International for comment on the situation but did not receive a response.

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This photo shows the Sapphire Princess cruise ship, operated by Princess Cruises, docked at the Marina Cruise center in Singapore. (ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with Norovirus," the CDC states on its website. "Norovirus is sometimes called the 'stomach flu' or 'stomach bug.' However, norovirus illness is not related to the flu, which is caused by influenza virus."

One of the biggest health risks posed by Norovirus infection is dehydration — the CDC recommends those infected drink plenty of liquids to aid recovering.

The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program requires cruise lines to report and document cases of illness on their ships in order to facilitate coordinated responses in case of emergency.

Cruises Still Sailing Despite COVID Outbreaks

While the Omicron variant spreads, COVID-19 is not sparing cruise ships. 

The CDC lists nearly 90 ships that are under observation or investigation, including major cruise lines. 

But on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, passengers set for sail on a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Tampa. 

"When I’m seeing the number of people that kind of got on the ship I'm nervous but they said that everybody has to be double vaccinated and the boosters so we were comfortable about that," said Maissa King before boarding. 

"You gotta enjoy life, you can't hide away in a house all the time, you have to at least try," John Lunshof said. 

The CDC is also monitoring four other ships. The threshold for an investigation includes cases in at least 0.10% of passengers or in at least one crew member. 

Britany and Raymond Kelly said they looked forward to a vacation over Christmas with their daughter on a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Miami. 

"Kind of like a mixture between a comedy movie and a horror movie," Raymond Kelly said of their experience.

The Kelly’s said Britany first tested positive while on board the cruise. While Raymond and their daughter tested negative initially, they said the next day Raymond also tested positive. 

"It seemed like they didn't want to test me or my daughter again because they didn’t want another positive case on board," he said. 

They describe confusion with what tests to take before boarding, and later, frustration with the service and care they received after they said they tested positive on the ship and isolated in a hotel. 

"I'm just disappointed they were not prepared for the what if. I was honestly impressed with them like cleaning the boat and stuff but they didn't think it all the way through," said Britany Kelly. 

Royal Caribbean had not yet responded to Newsy's request for comment at the time of publication, but tells customers on its web site. "An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people gather." 

The cases come as the Omicron variant spreads. Some public health officials say some data shows it appears the variant may be less severe. 

But when it comes to next steps, Senator Richard Blumenthal called for a pause. He tweeted in part, "Cruises are repeating recent history as Petri dishes of COVID infection." 

"The numbers are a much higher average today than they were even a month ago," said James Walker.

Walker is an attorney who represents passengers and crew members against cruise lines and runs the blog Cruise Law News. 

"If you're gonna go on a cruise prepare for there to be a disruption. Prepare yourself for the possibility the port communities won’t let whatever cruise ship you're on stop in your jurisdiction," said Walker.

This week the Mexican government announced it would allow ships with cases to dock. 

Cruise lines have pointed to the protocols they've implemented to mitigate the spread of the virus.

"We are working closely with the CDC and local health authorities in all ports and destinations that we visit. The rapid spread of the Omicron Variant may shape how some destination authorities view even a small number of cases, even when they are being managed with our vigorous protocols. Some destinations have limited medical resources and are focused on managing their own local response to the variant. Should it be necessary to cancel a port, we will do our best to find an alternative destination," said AnneMarie Mathews, the senior director for communications for Carnival Cruise line, in part in a statement. 

"Whenever we experience a positive case on board, we immediately enact a series of proven protocols, including quarantine, contact tracing and PCR testing to identify, isolate and mitigate any further transmission. That said, largely in part to our vaccination policy and thorough embarkation procedures, we've been able to detect any possible positive cases prior to boarding and ensure those folks are well taken care of. As we continue to navigate the challenges we’re collectively facing in the fight against COVID-19, we are confident in our health and safety measures and will continue them moving forward," a Virgin Voyages spokesperson stated. 

The Cruise Lines International Association said cases in recent weeks make up a slim percentage of total population on board. 

"No setting is immune from the impacts of COVID-19. The difference with cruise ships is that our members have measures in place that were designed specifically for moments like this, and those measures continue to prove effective to mitigate COVID-19 amongst cruise passengers, crewmembers, and communities," said Bari Golin-Blaugrund, Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs.

When it comes to future cruises, people are still booking. 

"We're seeing the demand especially. It was very strong until beginning of December, then when Omicron came out things slowed down. But we are seeing after February, we're still seeing strong traction on bookings," said Bob Cook, the director of sales with Go Travel.

The CDC notes "cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission."

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