With a swine flu outbreak, a fire, a baby born aboard a ferry, and passengers falling overboard, it’s been a wild week for the cruise ship business. Check out this roundup of the week’s top travel news in the cruising industry.
Swine Flu Outbreak Aboard Aruban Ship
An Aruba-based cruise ship was sent back home Friday after more than a dozen passengers and crew came down with flu-like symptoms.
The Ocean Dream, which is owned by Pullmantur, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean, was in the middle of a nine-day Caribbean cruise when three crew members and 11 passengers began to feel ill.
On Wednesday authorities in scheduled ports stops of Grenada and Barbados refused to allow the ship to dock, prompting Pullmantur to cut the cruise short.
The ship let about 380 Venezuelan passengers disembark at Venezuela’s Isla Margarita before taking the remainder to the home port of Oranjestad, where they were met by a swarm of medical workers.
All passengers were being checked for symptoms, and those who were judged to be ill were isolated to prevent the spread of the virus. Those who were symptom-free were being allowed to go home.
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CEO Thinks Cruise Fares Have Bottomed Out
Mickey Aronson, chief executive officer of Carnival Corporation, thinks that the recent era of record-low cruise ship fares is just about over.
Though prices are now lower than they were at this time last year, Aronson said that fares have risen slightly from their rock-bottom lows of last winter and spring.
Last fall’s economic crisis led to a drastic decline in demand for cruises, which the industry responded to by offering unprecedented discounts. The tactic worked, and ships filled up, but the industry took a financial hit as a result.
Since March, demand has picked up, which has led to a reversal of the discounting of earlier this year. Prices are still lower than early last summer, but Aronson said that volume is up 6 percent.
Engine Fire Forces Ship to Dock Near Egypt
A Princess cruise liner that was in the midst of a 12-day Holy Land cruise was forced to dock off the coast of Port Said, Egypt on Friday, after a fire broke out in its engine room.
The 733 passengers and 393 crew members were sent to holding stations on the ship while emergency crews worked to put out the blaze. No one was injured, and everyone has since been allowed to return to their cabins.
The ship is now headed to port, where technical experts plan to inspect the ship and make repairs. The ship will be stuck at Port Said for at least the next two days, during which time Princess plans to add additional shore excursions to keep passengers busy while they wait to resume the cruise.
Search for Missing Passenger Called Off
On Friday the U.S. Coast Guard officially ended its search for Michelle Vilborg, a 50-year-old woman who fell off the Carnival Holiday late Monday night.
The Coast Guard spent 70 hours over three days searching an area the size of Rhode Island, after the woman fell overboard about 75 miles south/southwest of Pensacola, Florida.
The FBI’s Violent Crimes Unit is also involved in the investigation, which they said is standard procedure in situations where the cause of the disappearance is unknown.
Read more in Three Passengers Fall Off Carnival Cruise Ships in Three Weeks.
Baby Born on Estonian Ferry Gets Perks for Life
Estonian shipping line Tallink said it will give free travel for life to a baby born onboard one of its ships on June 11.
An Estonian woman gave birth to the baby during a trip on a passenger ferry traveling between Stockholm and Tallinn. The ferry’s doctor and other medical personnel assisted with the birth, which proceeded without complications.
The company decided to celebrate the event by offering the child free travel privileges for life. The parents have been offered substantial future discounts on the ferry as well.
The birth was the second to occur on a Tallink ferry since 2004.
By Karen Elowitt for PeterGreenberg.com.
Visit our Cruises & Cruising section for more cruise news information.
Related links: Associated Press, USA Today, Daily Mail (UK), Examiner.com, Alabama Press-Register, New Zealand Herald, Canadian Press
