Report a Tip
Retain our Firm

Today, a half-dozen passengers  on the Adventure of the Seas tested positive for COVID-19. The  ship is one of several dozens of cruise ships with either passengers or crew members who have tested positive for COVID-19.  The Miami Herald covered the story (by Taylor Dolven).  USA TODAY published an article by Morgan Hines who is aboard the ship.

On Thursday, the six passengers on the Adventure of the Seas tested positive for the virus. The positive test occurred at the end of the week-long, round-trip cruise which left Nassau last Saturday. The Herald indicated that “four of the positive passengers are vaccinated and are traveling separately. Two of the positive passengers are unvaccinated and traveling together.”

The Royal Caribbean ship stopped in Cozumel, Mexico and the cruise line’s private Bahamian island before arriving in Freeport today.

Adventure of the Seas is one of dozens of cruise ships with COVID-19 on board. As reported by the Herald, “one in three ocean cruise ships operating in U.S. waters or planning to come into U.S. waters soon have reported a COVID-19 case on board in the last seven days, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nine of the 21 ships that have reported COVID-19 cases have passengers on board.”

Over a month ago, we reported that two passengers, both under the age of 16 and unvaccinated, tested positive while on Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas. On June 25th, we reported that at least nineteen other people on cruise ships owed by Royal Caribbean have tested positive in the last 30 days:

  • 13 crew members on the Odyssey of the Seas on March 24th and June 10th;
  • 4 crew members on the Anthem of the Seas on June 20th; and
  • 2 passengers on the Celebrity Millennium, owned by Royal Caribbean, who tested positive on June 10th.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s color coded status system shows seven cruise ships operated by Royal Caribbean, with either orange or yellow designations, indicating the presence of COVID-19, including the Allure of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, and Serenade of the Seas.

The outbreaks occurring  on the Royal Caribbean ships are mirroring COVID outbreaks ashore, including vaccinated people who have breakthrough infections. It is less than clear how many of the shipboard outbreaks involve the highly contagious Delta variant which has been permitted to mutate due to the large number of people who refuse to become vaccinated.

The Herald article point out that:

“Florida is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases as many people eligible for the vaccine have still not been vaccinated.

On Wednesday, Florida recorded its fourth highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began 16 months ago, reporting 17,589 new cases to the CDC.”

A particularly ominous development is the fact that vaccinated people who contract the COVID-19 Delta variant can spread the virus just as easily as unvaccinated people, according to the CDC.

The optimism that vaccinations would permit cruising to return to “normal” has evaporated and replaced with the reality that selfish anti-vaxxers, aided by the likes of Florida Governor DeSantis prohibiting cruise lines from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccinations, have permitted the virus to mutate into the Delta variant which is now being reported as contagious as chickenpox.

Have a comment or question? Please leave one below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Top – Adventure of the Seas – Master0Garfield –  CC BY-SA 4.0, commons / wikimedia.