UPDATE:
Coral Princess has now arrived in Miami, Florida rather than Fort Lauderdale. The ship arrived this morning and Princess Cruises has stated it will take several days to disembark guests due to limited flight availability. Those who are still not well will have to remain on board until they are better.
PREVIOUSLY:
Princess Cruises has confirmed that Coral Princess has 12 cases of COVID-19 and hoping to dock in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Coral Princess Coronavirus Cases
There are still cruise ships out there that have not yet stopped operations and that includes the Coral princess operated Princess Cruises. The cruise line has also confirmed 12 cases of COVID-19 onboard with 7 guests and 5 crew members infected.
The vessel was already on a 32-day voyage which departed San Antonio, Chile on March 5. This was before the cruise line announced a voluntary suspension in cruise operations announced on March 12. Ships that had already departed have been able to end their sailings as scheduled but it has not really been smooth sailing.
With so many port closures around the world and new travel restrictions, the cruise line planned to disembark guests in Buenos Aires on March 19 and 20. Unfortunately, this operation could not take place due to challenges in the country and complications from cancelled flights.
The plan at the moment is for Princess Cruises to disembark guests at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The cruise line is seeking approval for the ship to dock and is working with local authorities.
Right now the Coral Princess is on lockdown will all guests and non-working crew members having to remain in their cabins. Meals are being delivered to passenger staterooms by room service and there is complimentary internet and telephone for guests to use.
The princess cruise ship made a service call at Bridgetown, Barbados on March 31 and no guests or crew were able to disembark the vessel. The ship is scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on April 4 but as this is developing news it’s not clear if this will yet go ahead.
There are currently 1,020 guests and 878 crew members on board Coral Princess which is a 91,600 gross ton cruise ship. The voyage was original scheduled to end in Fort Lauderdale on April 6.
This news comes as two Holland America ships were given the green light to dock at Port Everglades yesterday. The ships were originally denied to disembark guests after many came down with influenza-like symptoms.
