Diamond Princess in Asia isn’t the only ship causing Princess Cruises problems this week. Caribbean Princess, currently in the middle of a 14-night sailing, is being forced to return to Port Everglades early because of a gastrointestinal outbreak.
The return to port follows the ship being turned away from the Port of Spain, Trinidad because of the illness.
Princess Cruises said, “Caribbean Princess, which had been on a 14-day cruise in the Caribbean, has curtailed its voyage out of an abundance of caution due to guests reporting symptoms consistent with a mild case of gastrointestinal illness.”
The Ministry of Health in Trinidad and Tobago said, “The MV Caribbean Princess which was scheduled to arrive in [Port of Spain] on Monday 10th February was denied entry due to an outbreak of gastroenteritis onboard the vessel.”
The Ministry of Health also reaffirmed that there have been no suspected or confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Trinidad and Tobago.
Photo viaPrincess Cruises
The statement continued, “The cruise ship carrying over 3000 passengers and a 1000 member crew was also denied approval to berth at the Bridgetown Port, by the Government of Barbados because of the gastroenteritis outbreak on the cruise ship. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has also confirmed the presence of ‘a significant outbreak’ of gastroenteritis on the ship.”
Caribbean Princess left Port Everglades on February 2 for a 14-night Southern Caribbean cruise. The scheduled itinerary, half of which was completed, was to see the ship stopping at St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Martinique, Barbados, Trinidad, Bonaire, and Aruba. The ship will now return to Port Everglades at 7 a.m. on Thursday, February 13.
All guests will receive a 50% refund on their voyage and a future cruise credit valued at 50% of their cruise fare for the inconvenience. Caribbean Princess will resume its scheduled sailings with a February 16 departure from Port Everglades for a round-trip Circle Caribbean cruise.
