It was the option of the pickup a mile from home, that attracted us to a coach holiday to the Dutch tulip fields. Around 26.7 million people took a cruise in 2017, whereas around 28.5 million passengers chose to go on a cruise in 20181. But cruises kept departing until mid-March. Koutsoukosta couldn't provide a timeline for when these safety upgrades might start appearing on cruise ships.
Cruise ships are being quarantined or barred from ports due to fears over the spread
Travel Hub 365 of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but evidence suggests that these vessels may be active breeding grounds for infection that unnecessarily endanger the lives of passengers and crew.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) voluntarily suspended cruise ship operations in March in conjunction with the earlier No Sail Order issued March 14. The industry has since been working to build an illness response framework to combat COVID-19 on ships with international crew members who remain on board and at sea.
Back aboard the Zaandam, passengers are passing the time however they can. Seabourn has canceled sailings in several waves, the latest of which was on May 6. Passengers on sailings canceled on May 6 who have paid in full can choose between a full refund or a future cruise credit in the amount of 125% of what they paid.
Viking has canceled all river and ocean cruises through June 30, 2020. By February 4, the remaining 3,700 passengers and crew of the luxury Diamond Princess ship — currently docked at the port city of Yokohama, Japan — were asked to stay on the ship under quarantine orders.