On Thursday, officials reported that the SeaDream Yacht Club’s SeaDream I, one of the very first cruise ships to travel to the Caribbean since the coronavirus pandemic began, was forced to end its trip early after at least five passengers contracted COVID-19. The SeaDream I has 66 crew members and more than 50 passengers, most of whom are from the United States.
According to British editor and reporter Sue Bryant, one passenger became sick on Wednesday, forcing the ship to turn back to Barbados, where it had departed from on Saturday. The ship was scheduled to return to Barbados this Saturday and had made stops in St. Vincent and the Grenadines before having to turn back.
This seems like a thing that shouldn’t have to be said, but clearly I can’t take common sense for granted these days: Don’t go on a fucking cruise during a pandemic. And not only because it’s selfish to leave the U.S. and vacation to poorer (and less white) countries with fewer resources during a very deadly pandemic, potentially infecting other travelers and residents during your visit. It’s also particularly foolish to travel by cruise during a pandemic, considering cruise ships are notoriously questionable environments health-wise even outside of a global health crisis.
Think about it: cruise ships force a lot of people to not only live in close quarters, but also to eat, sleep, and do all of their activities all on the same boat. In addition, people typically travel from different locations in order to board the cruise, bringing who knows how many germs with them. And on top of all that, cruises typically have multiple stops in different locales—providing an infinite number of potential sources of infection, or potential people you could spread the virus to. According to the CDC, the most common cruise ship outbreaks involve GI infections, vaccine-preventable diseases, and respiratory infections—like covid-19.
Bryant also reported that passengers were required to have a negative PCR test in order to enter Barbados and took another test on the dock administered by the SeaDream I’s doctor.
“We all felt very safe,” she said, adding that the ship had been implementing strict hygiene protocols. “Yet somehow, COVID appears to have got on board.”
The thing about a wildly contagious virus is that even when proper precautions are being taken, the very act of gathering so many people in the same space is inherently dangerous—especially with a virus that is so often asymptomatic and can be airborne.
Luckily, there won’t be many cruises happening for the rest of the year after the Cruise Lines International Association (an organization that represents 95% of the “global ocean-growing cruise capacity”) extended their voluntary suspension of cruise operations in U.S. waters through the end of 2020. But seriously, wait to spend a week seasick and eating your weight in fake crab until after the pandemic is over.