PUBLIC HEALTH
Norovirus hits Caribbean Princess
102 passengers and 13 crew are ill on a 13-night Southern Caribbean voyage. The CDC is now involved.
✦ Cruise 101: Cruise lines must report illness to the CDC once it crosses 3% of passengers. That threshold triggered this report — and an official outbreak response plan kicks in automatically.
102 of 3,100 passengers reported symptoms — just over the mandatory 3% CDC reporting threshold
13 crew members also fell ill
Princess Cruises activated its outbreak prevention plan — ramping up cleaning of high-touch surfaces and isolating affected guests and crew
Caribbean Princess returns to Port Canaveral on May 11th
⚠ What this means for you: Norovirus spreads fast in enclosed spaces. Wash hands frequently. Hand sanitizer alone isn't enough against noro. If you feel off during a sailing, report to the medical center early.
BREAKING
Disney Adventure cancels sailing
A mechanical failure grounded Disney's newest ship in Singapore. Guests had already flown thousands of miles to board.
Disney Adventure's propulsion system failed and could not be repaired in time for the May 7th departure
6,700+ guests were already onboard when the captain announced the cancellation
One family flew 9,500 miles from New York to Singapore — "disappointed but trying to make the best of it"
Disney's compensation package:
Full refund
50% discount on a future sailing
Complimentary hotel night
Stateroom incidentals covered
Flight change assistance
May 11th sailing is expected to proceed as scheduled
⚠ What this means for you: Always buy travel insurance when flying internationally to join a cruise. A 9,500-mile trip with no coverage is a very expensive disappointment.
NOTICE
Carnival's booking system went offline Friday night
Planned maintenance took Carnival's reservation platform down overnight. If you tried to log in and couldn't, that's why.
Outage began 9:00 p.m. ET Friday, expected back by 3:00 p.m. ET Saturday
During downtime, guests could not:
Log in or complete online check-in
Modify existing bookings
Purchase shore excursions or specialty dining
System is back up this afternoon — check your booking if anything was pending
One thing that still worked: opting into the new Carnival Rewards program is worth doing if you haven't yet
MARKETS
Cruise stock watch
A red day across the board Friday.
Carnival Corporation (CCL) — $26.38 · down 2%
Royal Caribbean (RCL) — $275.24 · down 2%
Norwegian (NCLH) — $17.08 · down 1%
Viking (VIK) — $82.67 · down 2%