A back-to-back cruise on the same ship can be a great way to build a customized cruise itinerary and enjoy a longer cruise vacation. But what about when there is an illness outbreak onboard? How does that affect guests continuing on the vessel’s next sailing?
This is the situation some travelers are encountering aboard Sky Princess as the ship battles a gastrointestinal illness that is affecting both passengers and crew members.
The impacted cruise is the ship’s January 26, 2025 departure. Homeported from Fort Lauderdale, Sky Princess is first sailing a Western Caribbean itinerary that included stops in Princess Cays, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.
Guests onboard were informed of the illness outbreak through announcements just two days after setting sail. Travelers were urged to be diligent about proper and frequent handwashing and to report any symptoms, such as vomiting or diarrhea, and to isolate themselves if they were ill.
Furthermore, as the ship was docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica on Wednesday, January 29, it underwent “a comprehensive ship-wide cleaning and disinfection program” that included stripping all stateroom linens and other strong measures.
Guests were asked to disembark the ship and enjoy their time in Jamaica or else be prepared to vacate their stateroom when requested so the cleaning could proceed most efficiently.
Now, Sky Princess is once again being deep cleaned during her turnaround day in Fort Lauderdale, when one set of guests disembarks at the end of their sailing and another group boards the ship to begin their vacation.
A letter was provided to guests onboard who are passengers for both sailings in a back-to-back adventure.
“As you are aware, a small number of cases of gastrointestinal illness were reported during our cruise. Although most guests have been unaffected, we proactively launched a comprehensive disinfection program developed in coordination with international health authorities,” the letter summarized.
“As a cautionary measure, the ship will undergo additional disinfection while in Fort Lauderdale. To ensure a comprehensive cleaning is achieved during this call, we request your cooperation in vacating the ship from the hours of 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.”
Sky Princess returned to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, February 2, for that deep cleaning and cruise turnaround.
For this round of disinfections, guests were not given the option to remain aboard the ship in public areas, as was possible while in Ocho Rios.
A variety of options were made available to back-to-back guests, however. Princess Cruises provided a complimentary shuttle bus to the nearby beach with drop offs every 20-30 minutes. A variety of shore excursions were also available for booking.
Guests could also choose to wait in the cruise terminal building until the disinfection was complete, at which time they were permitted back aboard.
An onboard credit of $30 (USD) was provided for each guest to compensate for any meals or snacks ashore during the mandatory debarkation.
There was no impact to the ship’s departure from Fort Lauderdale for her next cruise, a 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary with calls to Princess Cays, San Juan, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk.
Why No Report to the CDC?
At this time, there has been no official report of the Sky Princess outbreak to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This report may be in process, or it may be that the number of cases being reported aboard the ship do not yet meet the threshold for such a report.
The CDC requires that outbreaks be submitted to the agency when 3% or more of passengers or crew members report symptoms of the illness.
Sky Princess can welcome 3,660 guests aboard, so this would mean 110 cases of the illness among guests if the ship is fully booked. Similarly, there would need to be 40 cases reported among the ship’s 1,346 crew members to warrant an official report to the CDC.
Because the most recent letter specifically describes the situation onboard as “a small number of cases,” it is possible those 3% thresholds have not yet been reached. The rigorous cleaning can help ensure any contamination and spread is minimized, and an official outbreak report may not be necessary.
January 2025 has already been a rough month for cruise ships impacted by gastrointestinal outbreaks. Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess as well as Holland America Line’s Volendam have both reported norovirus outbreaks.
Small ships are not immune to outbreaks either, as Viking Cruises’ Viking Mars and Silversea Cruises’ Silver Ray have both reported outbreaks. While the incident on Viking Mars has not yet had a causative agent identified, Silver Ray‘s situation was caused by E. coli.
The first outbreak of the year was aboard Sea Cloud Cruises’ Sea Cloud Spirit and presumed to be ciguatera, a foodborne illness from contaminated fish. That outbreak was confined to crew members.