Cruise Giant Carnival Works to Manage Deepening Coronavirus Crisis

I was on a Holland America ship in the Mediterranean and the captain was a fine enough human being to rescue African refugees who were adrift. One wonders how many other people passed them and just averted their gaze. I've been on 3 Holland America cruises and the ships were well run and clean and they had staff stationed in the dining room entryways to watch you sanitize your hands. I had a lovely time seeing places I had wanted to see all of my life: Greece, Sicily,Turkey, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Stockholm. It is an easier way for an older person to travel and have fewer stressful arrangements to make. I would not want to be quarantined for weeks because of an outbreak but there are worse places to suffer confinement. I am disturbed to hear of the ocean dumping. And conditions for the workers are surely difficult. I hope none of them became ill. They are surely crowded closer together . Still the people who run them seem to me to be smart and capable.I was actually very surprised that so few people contracted the virus. Blaming the ships is easier than worrying about what things could be like internationally in about 8 more weeks. I'm worried and I live in the middle of the American Southwest.

Carnival's management is largely responsible for the public health disaster on the Westerdam. They must have known that risk was rather high after a first case, given that cruise ships are superfertile grounds for viruses. The respoonsible action would have been to repatriate the ship to the US. Instead, they dumped the ship on Cambodia, a very poor country with the public health expertise and infrastructure that comes with it. They did so by lying to the Cambodian government and the world by saying that there were no infections on board, even though they knew that they had no way of knowing. Shame on Carnival, its management, its shareholders.

Thinking takes work. Nuance, perspective, and complexity are clearly out of fashion as intellectual activities, so Twentieth Century (to paraphrase Roger Cohen.) It is so much easier to deal with things through simplistic bumpersticker certainties. Such is evident in many of these comments. Thus I would like to repost the comment by Daria, so more recent readers are more likely to see it. First, I would note how many commenters trash the corporate profit and polluting qualities of cruise ships, yet use gadgets and the internet, all based on corporate profit and the pollution of production, use, disposal, and intelligence. "So, help me understand how the shipboard Corona Virus spread is Carnival Corporations fault? Who ordered the quarantine? Did the Japanese government say it would allow passengers from the ship the freedom to come and go as they pleased? Did the harbor master grant permission for passengers to disembark? For the passengers, did the public health officials of their prospective countries advocate for them and seek a solution in a timely fashion? For Americans, did our government proactively seek and offer alternate solutions to shipboard quarantine? Perhaps move passengers to a military installation with adequate medical facilities and staff? I have no vested interest in Carnival Corporation but it seems to me many of the comments here lack thought and are generated by the collective monkey mind that's become predominant in American discourse."

Cruise ships could do more to prevernt the spread of virses. For example, the air conditioning systems may spread the viruses from one room to another. If so, adding UVC lamps or even bright visible light to the ducts could kill the viruses. Also, adding air filters to remove aerosols could help. Influenza viruses do not live as long outside the body when it is hot and sunny as when it is cold and and dark. The same may apply to coronavirus. Another measure would be to provide passengers and crew members with vitamin D, which has been shown to reduce risk of many types of viral and bacterial infections. One of the reasons respiratory tract infections are more common in winter is due to low vitamin D status. The cause of death after a viral respiratory tract infection is generally from pneumonia. Higher vitamin D status helps reduce inflammation which, in the lungs, leads to pneumonia. Those who have not been taking vitamin D should be taking large doses while on contaminated ships, perhaps 10,000 IU/d (the amount a person can make in a day in the sun) For more information, go to VitaminDWiki.com

Carnival/Holland, an outfit that cannot be trusted. An outfit that has dumped oil contaminated waste into the oceans, that violated its own probation, that operated the Costa Concordia with an incompetent captain and crew and whose boats are regularly infected by norovirus epidemics.

None of this is Carnival doing. The Chinese government doesn't care what happens to their citizens. They're treated like slaves. This is where the blame is, Trump's great friend Xi.

Cruise ships are nothing but giant petri dishes in the best of times.

Thinking takes work. Nuance, perspective, and complexity are clearly out of fashion as intellectual activities, so Twentieth Century (to paraphrase Roger Cohen.) It is so much easier to deal with things through simplistic bumpersticker certainties. Such is evident in many of these comments. Thus I would like to repost the comment by Daria, so more recent readers are more likely to see it. First, I would note how many commenters trash the corporate profit and polluting qualities of cruise ships, yet use gadgets and the internet, all based on corporate profit and the pollution of production, use, disposal, and intelligence. "So, help me understand how the shipboard Corona Virus spread is Carnival Corporations fault? Who ordered the quarantine? Did the Japanese government say it would allow passengers from the ship the freedom to come and go as they pleased? Did the harbor master grant permission for passengers to disembark? For the passengers, did the public health officials of their prospective countries advocate for them and seek a solution in a timely fashion? For Americans, did our government proactively seek and offer alternate solutions to shipboard quarantine? Perhaps move passengers to a military installation with adequate medical facilities and staff? I have no vested interest in Carnival Corporation but it seems to me many of the comments here lack thought and are generated by the collective monkey mind that's become predominant in American discourse."

My wife and I have travelled on many Holland America ships and over the years have found that infections are easily transmitted no matter how rigorous the efforts to contain them. We joked about the inevitability of catching the "ship's cold" after seeing it spread amongst our fellow passengers. Last year we were presented with a bill of almost $2000 after the diagnosis and treatment of my wife's 'flu on board. To add insult to injury, norovirus treatment from on-board medical staff is now an expensive proposition whereas it was once treated free of charge. Now that the world has seen how easily infection can spread on a ship, even in the face of heroic precautions, I wonder if cruise lines will be accepting more of the responsibility for such outbreaks and stop treating contagious disease as a revenue opportunity.

Say what you will, but Carnival/Holland America is NOT doing an adequate job keeping passengers on upcoming trips informed. We are booked out of Yokohama on the Westerdam on April 11, and don't know if the ship will sail then, or to what ports, or if we even want to be on board. Our airfare to Tokyo is non-refundible, and whatever our insurance may provide, our voluntarily-cancelling the trip is not covered. In all this, I know we are far from being alone. Future articles on this story need more depth, please.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by all the negative comments here but I'm guessing many haven't even been on a cruise. The Coronavirus situation is a very serious and frightening one, and obviously cruising isn't for everyone. But it's not the disaster portrayed here. Personally I have found it uniquely enjoyable and stress-free (especially vs air travel) and being surrounded by an ocean for days at a time is magical. The stereotype of lazy, gluttonous, ugly Americans doesn't hold true for all cruises. There are all kinds of itineraries for those want an athletic, eco-friendly or adventurous experience. Any illness outbreak or accident is a concern, but you can say the same about other forms of travel. (In my mind air travel is almost unbearable these days unless you're a premium FF member.) Carnival isn't my favorite, and I admit I cut back my trips due to environmental concerns, but, again, you can make a similar argument about unnecessary air travel. Cruises on smaller ships are also a good way to see parts of the world that aren't accessible otherwise, like Alaska and the fjords of Norway. Seriously, many of the comments here seem very ignorant to me.

I’ve yet to read mention of the crew on these ships. How many are ill or quarantined or treated or rescued? How many have died? What is happening to them? These ship have hundreds of staff.

Sorry, my idea of a vacation isn’t a week on a floating mall with 6 to 8 thousand other inmates, with Purell sanitizer stations every 10 paces. Cruise corporations skirt labor, environment and tax regulatory oversight by flying flags of convenience. Who in good conscience can relax onboard knowing they are served by hollow-eyed crew being paid shockingly low wages? Not me.

These behemoths are the perfect delivery systems for any virus. These ships sail world wide, embark passengers from a bevy of nations and keep thousands in tight contact with other "travelers"...........I surprised that the new strains are not named after some of these ships.

Oh, boo hoo. I'm sorry for the people who think floating around on a multi-story apartment building laying on its side is somehow so invigorating that they'll spend megabucks for the pleasure.

It's amazing how many commenters trash the corporate profit and polluting qualities of cruise ships while happily using computers, cell phones, and the internet, which are all based on corporate (often mega) profit and the pollution of production, use, disposal, and intelligence.

These large cruise ships are massive incubators of bacteria and viruses, there have been multiple outbreaks of serious diseases on them for years now. Yet people still pay serious money to float around on these giant petri dishes. The ships are also bad in other ways, including as polluters. And they despoil every place they go to: you can use the maps in the cruise ship ads as a guide to global destinations that are now blighted with ugly hotels and have oil slicks in their once pristine waters. And then there's the special case of Venice, where immense cruse ships come in close to shore for photo ops of the church of San Marco. The waves the boats create surge up into the city, greatly accelerating its complete and utter destruction. The Venetian government lacks the foresight and decency to stop this horror: a dollar today outweighs a hundred 20 years from now.

Cruise ships are floating petri dishes.

These megamonsters are an abomination. They pollute the oceans, destroy wildlife, and ruin harbors, coastlines, etc. It's really time to end their existence. I grieve for what we have done to the world in the name of pleasure.

Guess how much Carnival pays in taxes?

Cruise ships are horrible for the environment and now, proving to be a spreader of infectious disease. Would that this moment lead to their demise.

I refuse to travel on any cruises.. They a petri dish to diseases!!!

Note to self: NEVER get on a cruise ship!

Kentaro Iwata, a specialist in infectious diseases at Kobe U. hospital, Japan, said that he tried to get onto Diamond Princess to offer his services, but they kicked him off the ship. The infection control practices were so bad -- actually, nonexistent -- that he is afraid he might have picked up the virus in his brief visit, so he self-quarantined himself for 14 days to prevent spreading it to his family and students. He left a video on Youtube. This is his summary: "Diamond Princess has completely inadequate infection control, and there is no professional ID person in charge. Passengeres, crews, health care professionals working inside are at risk of infection, and the practice is even worse than what I saw in Africa. Immediate action is needed to save people inside." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtHYZkLuKcI&feature=youtu.be The Washington Post had a short piece which added the Japanese government's non-response. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/coronavirus-china-live-updates/2020/02/19/3286b6d2-529d-11ea-b119-4faabac6674f_story.html

This entire debacle was handled by choosing hysteria over medical fact. The reason so many people are dying of this in China is their idiotic quarantines. By quarantining all the crew and passengers on this cruise ship the Japanese gov't absolutely guaranteed everyone would get sick. Altho I love cruising I'll never, ever, get aboard one of those huge ships. There's a reason that Carnival (and subsidiaries) are always the ones with huge disease outbreaks and fines for polluting.

Why anyone would take a cruise is beyond me. Especially on these cattle barges. The risks are in the headlines at least once a year.

We have sailed on Holland America at least 20 times, Princess 5 or 6 times and 3 times on Carnival. Never had a health problem that I didn't cause myself and was never forced to stay in my cabin or stayed in the infirmary. Medical care was excellent when I needed it but expensive. My insurance covered it since Medicare won't. We always take the best travel policy available. Now if this happened on a Royal Caribbean monster ship with 5000 passengers plus crew it really would be a nightmare. The Carnival ships are half the size and more passenger friendly. We have sailed on the Diamond and Westerdam and loved both ships. Don't blame Carnival when the problem started in China.

So, help me understand how the shipboard Corona Virus spread is Carnival Corporations fault? Who ordered the quarantine? Did the Japanese government say it would allow passengers from the ship the freedom to come and go as they pleased? Did the harbor master grant permission for passengers to disembark? For the passengers, did the public health officials of their prospective countries advocate for them and seek a solution in a timely fashion? For Americans, did our government proactively seek and offer alternate solutions to shipboard quarantine? Perhaps move passengers to a military installation with adequate medical facilities and staff? I have no vested interest in Carnival Corporation but it seems to me many of the comments here lack thought and are generated by the collective monkey mind that's become predominant in American discourse.

I'm not clear why anyone would book a vacation on the Carnaval lines or any other cruise ship at this point in time. While the Coronavirus is serious it's just one of many maladies that these cruise ships have had over the past number of years. First it was the Legionnaires disease, then troubles with toilets and foul smells and food poisoning just to name a few. I prefer to spend my money on a nice island with hotel accommodations rather then sleeping on a ship. I had enough of that when I was in the Navy.

The US government has an obligation to support American citizens, and as best I can tell is doing its best to meet that obligation, in exceedingly difficult circumstances with no clear signposts. The government's obligation does NOT extend to financially supporting Carnival. From what I have read, Carnival registers its ships at foreign ports, and avoids paying much in US taxes. The company is, of course, not the only firm to do its best to avoid paying its fair share of taxes. I am reminded of the incident in 2013 when the Carnival Triumph experienced an electrical failure. Lacking a backup system, the ship became stranded without power, many of its systems such as air-conditioning and plumbing, non-operational. The US Navy and Coast Guard came to its rescue. When our government asked the wealthy company for reimbursement, the company sent a notorious, well known, response: "Carnival’s policy is to honor maritime tradition that holds that the duty to render assistance at sea to those in need is a universal obligation of the entire maritime community." Adverse publicity resulted in the company ultimately making a payment to our government, but you get the idea. My own feeling is that the company needs to bare the economic consequences of the corona virus outbreak on its ships, without financial support from taxpayers.

Given Carnival’s history, we should be very careful and critical of any messaging from this company about this situation (or any assertions of preparation for and control of any outbreak on one of their ships). PR is intended to control the narrative and minimize the financial impact to the company, and self-assertion of their concern for the public, or their competent management of crisis are likely dubious.

What an unfortunate turn of events for many people looking to enjoy the world from a floating hotel room. The cost to the cruise industry will be felt for years to come, with economic repercussions for everyone.

Even if you don’t care about how the cruise industry hurts the environment, these public health issues should be enough to cause you to stay away. Why would anyone want to get sick? It’s time to put these big bloated boats in the past.

Sadly, I think this is going to get really ugly. I can see this leading to a world wide depression.

No surprises here. The billionaire Arison family has run Carnival Cruise lines for decades as a cash cow money machine, with a focus on profits over safety.

I just don't understand the appeal of cruises. You mostly eat, sleep, watch a show, hang out, and repeat. Furthermore, seeing how quickly a virus can spread due to the close quarters and how you're trap on a boat, no thanks. I hope the amount of infected people coming from ships starts to decrease dramatically, and honestly stop all cruises until the virus passes. Heck, subsidize them or something temporarily, but they seem to be a huge risk at spreading the disease globally.

Trying to contain this virus is kind of futile right now. Time to move to the mitigation stage.

I know people love their cruises, but to me they are vile enormous dens of waste. Casinos, too much food and gluttony in every way. Maybe we need to re-evaluate our ideas of fun and the virus is illustrating that point.

Let's hope that the Westerdam passengers who have left the ship do not become super-spreaders across the globe. Two or three weeks should answer that question.

My goodness, cruise ships, in the best of times, are full of people catching all sorts of bugs, vomiting, diarrhea, fevers, colds. Anyone reading this ever been on a large cruise ship? Didn’t you see the clinics within the ships? And, didn’t you see friends, family, other guests catch something, however innocuous and easy to cure? Just use common sense, you’re in a large, floating Petri dish full of other humans’ entire bio germs, and it’s going merrily along the water, sending out bucket fulls from your cabin’s toilet. Cruise ships are flotillas full of whatever the latest bug is...so are airplanes, except in planes you don’t shower, or swim in the same pool, and it’s for a shorter period of time. This is just common sense folks.

I'm sorry for the passengers trapped in quarantine on shipboard. They should have been evacuated and put into quarantine areas on dry land, with better ventilation and crazy things like sunlight and fresh food. The ship could have then been taken where ever they take ships to be scrubbed. As it was passengers were forced into tight quarters, breathing recycled air, while a virus spread through their numbers. They were living in a petri dish. A four year old child would have known better. In an ideal world the cruise ship industry would crumble. I certainly would not shed a tear for it. Huge, embarrassingly tacky vessels spewing unknown tons of waste, human and otherwise, into the ocean. They represent everything that is excessive, wasteful and ignorant. And they don't sound too well run either.

I took the Westerdam from Vancouver to China by way of Japan and South Korea in October. It was an excellent cruise; great service, good food and entertainment and the ports were all very interesting, especially those in China. There were, of course no health problems to spoil things. Hopefully cruisers will rediscover China after this virus event is over. If there is any good news in this crisis, it is likely there will be some substantial discounts on cruises to Asia coming up.

Cruise ships are a disaster. They are incubators of disease -- like COVID-19 and the norovirus -- that are not just confined to the wealthy cruisers but then brought back to share with their non-cruising countrymates, as well as those in the poorer countries where they stop. And let's not forget the terrible impact cruise ships are having at the places where they stop. Small coastal towns receiving thousands of tourists at once -- and that's just from one boat. The tourists walk around, take instagram-worthy photos and buy a few trinkets -- then they eat and drink and sleep and engage in entertainment on the boat, not the country they are touristing in. In other words, a lot of impact on the host country with almost no economic benefit. An article in the NYT last year found that in one Greek city that was positively overrun by cruise ships, the average tourist spent $5 on trinkets. And the carbon expenditures of cruise ships are huge -- especially when you factor in that people generally FLY to get the port that the ship is leaving out of. For so very many reasons, please ... skip the cruise ships!

When you see the negative result of cruise ships on local culture as I did living on a European port; When you learn you hear of the disregard for the ocean as they dump human waste merrily as they roll along. I don’t feel much sympathy for the corporate cruise industry. Made people find more sustainable ways to travel. Flora and fauna of the ocean will not miss the cruise ships or their passengers. The industry at the ports will have to recalculate and find ways to serve people who truly want to get to know and honor their local culture. Indeed we need a green new deal in so many ways. Tourism needs to be re-thought and jobs need to be recalibrated so that they are working for the future in a deep way sustainability and supporting our delicate ecosystem that we are decimating through short term pleasure and profit

Carnival should consider "quarantining" the ships presently used in the Pacific region. Two weeks including disinfecting along with a good PR campaign and the public will praise the efforts. With 50% of global market, it'll be a small stock write off with large good will investment.

It would seem that given past virus problems and the confined nature of a cruise ship. No one should ever cruise again!

Of course, coronavirus is a threat to Carnival corporation. The affected cruise ships have received constant negative international publicity. And for good reason. Ships are already incubators for novovirus and both Ports of Call & Home Ports will be nervous about 3000-4000 passengers plus crew on mega ships transferring coronavirus to their citizens!

What's happened on the cruise ships has been eye opening. Over 600 have been infected. That means either the virus spread like wildfire before the passengers were separated, or continued to spread after they were separated. Neither explanation gives much comfort. Also, looking at the figures for china as a whole, there's a big disparity between the death rate in Hubei province (around 2%) and the rest of China (around 0.4%) Hopefully this is indicative of incomplete stats from Hubei province's stressed administration, rather than a more worrying interpretation that case outcome is heavily dependent on availability of high intervention healthcare. Taking reasonable middle of the road estimates from a number of studies from reputable sources, a infection rate of 20% and case fatality rate of 2% should be planned for by our countries. That equates to 1.3m fatalities in the US, 265k fatalities in the UK. That's not a declaration of doom, just sensible view of the risk we should be preparing for. We need to keep a close eye on the amazing efforts in China, with the largest quarantine effort in the history of humanity. 150 million people in home isolation. Here in the UK the BBC is not even including the 150 million person quarantine in it's headline reporting. It feels like worst sort of state control in our news.

Carnival does what all big corporations do--they cover the legal bases, and hope that nothing else can happen which they can be blamed for. If we look for soul-search fastidiousness, we will be disappointed. It gets in the way of profit.