Two cruise ships that were turned away by other ports are headed to Honolulu, but passengers won’t be allowed to disembark.
Officials say there are no cases of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, on either vessel.
NTD refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.
It was previously planned that passengers would disembark in Honolulu. Officials now say the ships will only refuel and resupply and then continue on to another destination.
Holland America Line’s Maasdam is scheduled to arrive on March 20.
The Norwegian Jewel is scheduled to arrive on Sunday, March 22.
New measures to seal borders to reduce the spread of the CCP virus have left some cruise ships stranded.
The cruise lines didn’t immediately comment on Hawaii’s reversal.
Other Cruise Ships
Several cruise ships were stranded at sea, some with confirmed virus cases on board, as the pandemic expands around the globe.
Some ships have been denied port, leaving them to anchor off the coast of a country. Other cruises have docked with quarantined passengers aboard.
Three cruise ships have confirmed cases of virus on board: the MS Braemar, Silver Shadow, and Silver Explorer.
Here is the status of the cruise ships in limbo that we know of.
MS Braemar
Status: Docked in Cuba, passengers in isolation.
A British-operated cruise ship left stranded in the Caribbean when people aboard became sick with virus has finally docked in Cuba after a fraught search for a port that would accept it.
The MS Braemar arrived in Mariel, west of Havana, early on Wednesday, with passengers expected to be transferred to airplanes for transport home to the UK on the same day.
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, which operates the vessel, confirmed four aircraft had landed in Cuba ready for the rescue operation. The first flight was set to depart at 6 p.m. local time.
The news follows a frantic few days in which the MS Braemar searched for a place to dock, following refusals from several ports in the Caribbean.
Five people aboard the cruise ship tested positive for the virus, according to a statement from Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.
A further 28 passengers and 27 crew members, including a doctor, are in isolation after displaying symptoms. The number has been rising over the past few days.
There are 682 travelers and 381 crew members on board.
Silver Shadow
Status: Docked in Brazil, passengers in isolation.
A Canadian passenger tested positive for virus on March 14 on the Silver Shadow, which is docked off the port of Recife in Brazil, according to Brazil’s state news agency Agencia Brasil.
Royal Caribbean confirmed the case on the Silver Shadow on Sunday.
“Two guests aboard the Silver Shadow have been medically disembarked in Recife, Brazil, and one has tested positive for COVID-19,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement.
The ship’s 609 passengers have been in isolation since March 13 when a passenger showed symptoms similar to the CCP virus, Agencia Brasil said on March 14.
One of the passengers who disembarked, a 78-year-old man from Canada, had a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. He was sent to a private hospital in the city.
Silver Explorer
Status: Docked in Chile, one passenger tested positive.
The Silver Explorer docked in Castro, Chile, on March 14 after a passenger tested positive for virus, Chile’s Health Minister Jaime Manalich said during a press conference in Santiago.
An 83-year-old British man is in “good condition” and being treated at the Coyhaique Hospital after testing positive, Manalich said. Royal Caribbean, which owns the Silver Explorer, confirmed the case on Sunday.
“One guest aboard the Silver Explorer has been medically disembarked in Castro, Chile, also testing positive for the virus,” the statement said.
The cruise ship is carrying 111 passengers and 120 crew members, according to Chilean officials.
Golden Princess
Status: Cleared to set sail for Australia.
While no one has tested positive for virus on the Golden Princess anchored off New Zealand, at least three passengers have been quarantined by the ship’s doctor, according to local health officials.
One passenger developed symptoms similar to the CCP virus and was being treated as a suspected case, according to the Canterbury District Health Board. Two other passengers had contact with a confirmed case in the past two weeks.
The ship is anchored in Akaroa Harbor near Christchurch so there could be “precautionary health testing” of guests who traveled on an international flight from Los Angeles, Princess Cruises said in a statement to CNN. The flight had a passenger who later tested positive for coronavirus in Australia. The cruise line said the airline passenger who tested positive has never been on board its ship.
The passenger with respiratory symptoms tested negative for coronavirus, Princess Cruises told CNN on Sunday. The Golden Princess was cleared to leave and set sail for Australia.
“We have also apologized to guests that this means that the remainder of their New Zealand itinerary has been canceled,” the cruise liner said in a statement to CNN.
Passengers have not been allowed to disembark the ship. The Golden Princess departed Melbourne on March 10 for a 13-day voyage, Princess Cruises said.
Pacific Princess
Status: At sea in the Indian Ocean, heading to Fremantle, Australia, but docking rights uncertain.
Pacific Princess, owned by Princess Cruises, departed in January for its 111 day around the world voyage.
According to passenger CJ Hayden, no one on board has COVID-19 symptoms, but the ship’s trajectory has become increasingly uncertain as ports are closing.
Hayden tells CNN the last time the ship successfully docked at a port was on March 3, in Exmouth, Western Australia.
Since then, stopovers at Bali, Singapore, and Phuket were canceled, due to fears over the CCP virus.
The Pacific Princess was later refused entry by Sri Lanka while en route.
“We were allowed to dock at a commercial port for fuel, food, and water but no one could get on or off. Their workers and ours wore masks and stayed apart,” says Hayden.
The ship was refused at the Seychelles, and abandoned its subsequent trek to Zanzibar, as more ports started to close.
Hayden says the ship is currently heading to Fremantle, Australia, due to arrive March 21.
But Australia has closed ports to cruise ships, so this destination remains uncertain.
The CNN Wire and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
