Tag Archives: outbreaks

Americans have been warned to avoid cruising – irrespective of their vaccination status

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P&O Britannia in the Caribbean, photo credit Spacejunkie2

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday (30 December) strengthened its advice for cruising, upping its warning for cruise travel to level four – its highest level.


The CDC said Covid-19 was continuing to spread quickly in confined spaces, such as on a ship, and said the likelihood of infection was therefore high.


It also said there had been an increase in cases onboard cruise ships following the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, now known to be significantly more transmissible than earlier variants.

The CDC is recommending cruise passengers get tested up to 72 hours prior to embarkation, and again three to five days into their cruise – regardless of their vaccination status.


It is also urging unvaccinated cruise passengers to self-isolate for a week after disembarking.


The health authority is currently monitoring Covid-19 outbreaks on 92 cruise ships, up from 86 earlier this week.


It is colour-coding ships according to evidence of “sustained transmission” of Covid onboard; currently, no ships have been marked red.

CLIA questions results of cruise poll

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By Tom Stieghorst
CLIA said a Harris poll showing a declining image for the cruise industry isn’t consistent with 2014 booking trends and reports from travel agents about demand.

“The Harris poll does not reflect what CLIA is hearing, which is that bookings are solid and cruise ships are leaving full,” the trade group said in a statement.

Harris initially did a poll a year ago after the Carnival Triumph fire and found the quality, trust and intent-to-purchase scores had dropped compared to surveys before the incident. The follow-up poll said some of the image concerns had abated since then, but they had been re-aggravated by several outbreaks of norovirus early this year.

CLIA said that outbreaks on three ships affected 706 passengers and contrasted that to the 21 million cases that occur on land in the U.S. alone, citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.

“CLIA works to educate consumers regarding the low rate of norovirus on cruise ships, and the extensive steps that cruise lines take to prevent outbreaks and treat any affected guests,” the statement said.

Norovirus outbreaks said to hurt cruise industry’s image

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By Tom Stieghorst

Cruise ship deckOutbreaks of norovirus early this year on several cruise ships, including Explorer of the Seas, led to a decline in the trust in cruising and intent to purchase a cruise, according to a Harris poll.

The consumer polling company released an update of its research last year that showed a decline in the industry’s image after the widely publicized Carnival Triumph fire.

Harris said polling done Feb. 10-14 found that perceptions were trending upwards in January, although still below levels before the Triumph incident. But the norovirus outbreaks reversed those gains.

Harris said the average perceived quality score for the cruise industry was down 11% compared with before the Triumph incident, with trust down 12% and purchase intent down 13%.

The seven brands in the survey all declined in at least one of the measures after the norovirus incidents, and most were down from pre-Triumph levels to begin with.

“We’ve all heard the saying that a rising tide lifts all boats,” says Deana Percassi, vice president and public relations research consultant for Nielsen, which acquired Harris in February. “But the inverse also holds true. In a field as crowded as the cruise industry, bad press for a small handful of brands — or even a single one — can have negative repercussions for major players across the board.”