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However, an excursion last Wednesday with six other people to São Tomé and Príncipe, an island nation of some 220,000 people off West Africa, took an unfortunate turn. Before he could even complete the announcement, cheers erupted through the ship, as seen in the below video. But the Joint Arctic Command also noted in a subsequent statement that the Ocean Explorer was still stuck after a tide came in. "The nearest help is far away, our units are far away, and the weather can be very unfavorable," Jensen said. "However, in this specific situation, we do not see any immediate danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring." By dinner time, public decks had been closed off, and plates and cups were flying off the buffet areas, he recalled.
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There have been a number of cholera outbreaks in southern African countries over the last few months, the BBC reported. Since January 2023, over 3,000 people in the region have died from cholera and 188,000 have been infected, according to the BBC. "Until it is finalized and ready to action, all crew fleetwide will remain onboard in the care of Princess," Princess Cruises said.
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People on board the ship developed mild stomach symptoms after visiting South Africa for a couple days in mid-February, CBS News partner network BBC News reported. On Wednesday, Princess Cruises confirmed to ABC News that the cruise line is working on a crew repatriation plan for the global fleet. Cruise lines are also dealing with international travel restrictions that vary by country. Passengers disembarked both Royal Caribbean ships in early March, but crew members remain on both boats that are currently off the coast of Florida. A spokesperson for the cruise line said that the ship could not safely dock in Gambia due to adverse weather conditions, adding that efforts are being made for the guests to rejoin the ship in Senegal on Tuesday.
The Ocean Explorer became stuck at about noon on Monday roughly 870 miles northeast of Greenland’s capital.
The weather is certainly one of those reasons — even absent a full-fledged hurricane. But when a hurricane is churning, it is very possible that the ship's itinerary will change. Carnival Paradise "is now scheduled to depart from Cozumel on Wednesday," Carnival said in the statement. "The ship will then begin heading back to Tampa, but remaining a safe distance from the storm as the company determines when Carnival Paradise can return to the Port of Tampa after the U.S. Coast Guard assesses conditions." The Antarctic cruise set sail from Argentina on March 15, after a pandemic had already been declared.
For Disney Wish, a port change announcement came on the morning of Sept. 28 when the ship was scheduled to dock at Castaway Cay for the day. Rather than head toward Disney's private island, and toward the storm, the ship turned toward the eastern edge of the Atlantic Ocean where seas would be calmer. When Disney Wish set sail on Sept. 26, the captain made an announcement that the ship might return to Port Canaveral later in the day than originally planned based on the projected forecast at that time.
The cruise liner began its latest trip on Sept. 2 in Kirkenes, in Arctic Norway, and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 22, according to SunStone Ships. Fraser told the newspaper that he himself had come down with COVID-19 on the ship. The delayed returns mean that nearly 20,000 cruisers this week are getting an extension of their vacations — whether they want one or not. An hour after NBC 10 reached out to Carnival Cruise, Martin said the company called her and confirmed they were in contact with the Embassy. The family was rushed to a local hospital in Cozumel where their grandmother remains in a medically-induced coma.
Based on updated forecasts, the captain announced the ship would not return to port until Saturday or Sunday, after the storm had passed and they could better assess the situation at Port Canaveral. That meant passengers would remain on board one or two days longer than expected. While staying at sea and away from the storm is the safest decision, travelers still have a lot of questions, concerns and general curiosity about the change of course. The Points Guy spoke with passengers currently on board Disney Wish to learn what it's like being out at sea for a few extra days during a hurricane. Also likely to remain at sea longer than expected is Disney Cruise Line's 2,508-passenger, Port Canaveral-based Disney Wish.
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Roseboom, who resides in Central Florida, is enjoying the extra day or two of vacation, but is equally worried about his house and friends and family back home in the wake of Hurricane Ian. "For cruisers who live outside of Florida, they seem to be mostly happy, but they do have to figure out how to change their flights," he shared. In a subsequent announcement on the afternoon of Sept. 28, the captain updated guests that Disney Wish would return to Port Canaveral on Sunday instead of Friday and that the ship should be able to dock at Castaway Cay on Saturday, Oct. 1. Earlier Thursday, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions which has chartered the ship, said that three passengers had COVID-19.
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"With the safety of our guests and crew an utmost priority, Eurodam and Rotterdam will stay at sea an extra day due to Tropical Storm Nicole," Holland America said in a statement sent to TPG. As is customary when cruises need to be extended due to inclement weather, none of the passengers on board the vessels will be charged for the extra days they spend on the ships. Days after the collision, media reported that the crew of the ship—consisting of 20 Indian nationals and one member from Sri Lanka—remained aboard the ship and were all safe.
MSC Cruises said in a statement Wednesday the Bolivian “passengers appeared to have proper documentation upon boarding in Brazil” but Spanish authorities later said the visas were not valid for entry into the Schengen area. Carolina Vásquez lost track of days and nights, unable to see the sunlight while stuck for two weeks in a windowless cruise ship cabin as a fever took hold of her body. MSC Cruises said in a statement Wednesday the Bolivian “passengers appeared to have proper documentation upon boarding in Brazil" but Spanish authorities later said the visas were not valid for entry into the Schengen area. About 2,000 of those passengers would have completed their trip and disembarked in Port Louis, while 2,279 new passengers were expected to board the ship, Reuters reported. "The health and safety of passengers as well as that of the country as a whole are of the utmost importance to the authorities," the port authority of Mauritius said.
"They can either try to get out on their own help when the tide becomes high, they can get help from a nearby cruise ship, they can get assistance from Knud Rasmussen, or they can get help of one of our collaborators," Jensen said. The Joint Arctic Command said the earliest the Knud Rasmussen might reach the Ocean Explorer is Friday morning local time. Crew Center, a cruise ship information site, posted a video on Twitter showing a flooded hallway, torn-off doors and other debris and destruction on board. It added that "the vessel and its passengers will now be positioned to a port where the vessel's bottom damages can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a port from which they can be flown back home." The MV Ocean Explorer ran aground above the Arctic Circle on Monday in Alpefjord, which is in the Northeast Greenland National Park, the world's northernmost national park. The park is nearly the size of France and Spain combined, and approximately 80% is permanently covered by an ice sheet.
The ship's physician, Dr. Mauricio Usme, said that when the first passenger fell ill, on March 22, he was pressured by the captain, the cruise operator and owners to modify the health conditions that had to be met for the ship to be admitted into ports. Both national and local governments have stopped crews from disembarking in order to prevent new cases of COVID-19 in their territories. Some of the ships, including 20 in U.S. waters, have seen infections and deaths among the crew. "COVID-19 on cruise ships poses a risk for rapid spread of disease, causing outbreaks in a vulnerable population, and aggressive efforts are required to contain spread," the CDC said.
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