# Will cruise ships ever be the same again? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [April 18, 2020, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032 "2020-04-18T03:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/81 "2020-09-08T21:29:32Z")
Anyone have any updates on when cruises think they can restart, or stock prices? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/82 "2020-09-09T11:34:44Z")
On July 29, I got an email saying all NCL cruises through October were cancelled. They haven’t yet cancelled November sailings so I’d say for right now , that company thinks it can restart in November.Of course, that could change in an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/83 "2020-09-09T11:38:37Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Isn’t the real question how confident consumers are? YES. We can discuss many equally valid aspects of this situation but, in the end, that’s what it boils down to. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/84 "2020-09-17T22:49:05Z")
> **[Carnival selling 18 cruise ships amid Canada, U.S. no-sail orders](https://nationalpost.com/news/world/carnival-is-selling-18-cruise-ships-amid-financial-struggles-and-u-s-canadas-no-sail-orders/wcm/0bfb57c1-d6d9-455e-af2b-c7e8d41fe02f/)** > > Fifty-five passengers died of COVID-19 on Carnival-operated ships during the early days of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and… ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/85 "2020-09-18T04:14:22Z")
Maybe a better use for the soon to be scrapped ships would be to sail them over to Greece where that refugee camp burned down an let those people live in safer and more civilized conditions while they are being processed for immigration. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/86 "2020-09-18T15:17:11Z")
Were cruise ships always major vectors for illnesses? I mean, in recent pre-COVID years, it seems that various forms of gastoenteritis got major news coverage after outbreaks on cruise ships (it’s where I first heard of [norovirus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norovirus)). But before that – were outbreaks of, say, influenza or mononucleosis or meningitis common on cruise ships? I know I was just a kid and was taking in information as a kid … but when _The Love Boat_ was on television, going on ocean cruises was seen as glamorous and nary an onboard viral outbreak was ever mentioned in the press. Was that something the “jet set” (“boat set”?) would’ve been aware of in the late 1970s to early 1980s – that catching an illness on a cruise ship was an extra risk of taking ocean cruises? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/87 "2020-09-18T15:37:24Z")
Cruise ships have often been considered vectors for flu and viral gastro. I believe many ships have a doctor or medic on board. AFAIK, things like meningitis are far rarer due to the fact many cruisers are more elderly. Meningitis (among other things) might be more associated with infants and college dorms. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/88 "2020-09-18T15:42:42Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Cruise ships have often been considered vectors for flu and viral gastro. Since ships are a closed environment, do they know what the expected infection rate is for an outbreak? So if someone boards who has the flu, what percentage of the other passengers would they expect to subsequently get infected? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/89 "2020-09-18T15:54:31Z")
I’m sure it has studied internally. I don’t know of a specific number. Cruises might be local or international and different companies might take more precautions. > **[Self-reported stomach upset in travellers on cruise-based and land-based...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24427271/)** > > In this large study of self-reported illness both demographic and holiday choice factors were shown to play a part in determining the likelihood of developing stomach upset while abroad. There is a lower cumulative incidence and declining rates of... This study of 6m travellers between 2000-8 includes foreign package holidays - land and cruise. Something like 7% of land package and 5% of cruisers self-reported gastro symptoms. In this study, travellers diarrhea was slightly less common on sea than on land. Cruises have, of course, also been associated with Legionnaires Disease, a respiratory illness. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/90 "2020-09-18T16:26:39Z")
Perhaps smaller cruise ships had less chance to spread illnesses due to having a lot less people on board. The ship used in _The Love Boat_ ([MS Pacific](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Pacific)) could carry around 1,100 people (guests and crew), while the current largest cruise ship ([Symphony of the Seas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_of_the_Seas)) can hold almost 9,000 people (guests and crew). By the nature of how the accommodations pack as many people as possible into limited space, 24/7 food buffets, plenty of shared surfaces and spaces, as well as shared air circulation (especially for those internal berths), it should be no surprise that any illness could spread rapidly in such an environment. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/91 "2020-09-18T20:40:35Z")
All the ships for the major cruise lines have at least on doctor and two nurses onboard, the larger ships might sail with two doctors and 3-4 nurses. A little bit of trivia I found through experience - on at least one major cruise line, the doctors are also trained to handle basic emergency dental work. If you break or lose a filling, you don’t have to scramble to find a dentist in port. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/92 "2020-09-19T17:21:05Z")
Even small cruise ships typically have a doctor. We enjoyed the ministrations of the Celebrity Xpedition’s doctor when my lovely wife developed a post-altitude sickness respiratory infection. This ship has under 50 cabins. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/93 "2020-09-20T22:09:57Z")
I have trouble reconciling a cruise with altitude, but there you go. ---
**Author:** ![dummygladhands71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dummygladhands71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dummygladhands71)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/94 "2020-09-21T02:18:50Z")
Typically an excursion to altitude ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/95 "2020-09-21T02:51:39Z")
> [@susan](#): > > This ship has under 50 cabins I wonder how that compares to a prison? If there are 2 doctors and 3-4 nurses to 9,000 people on large ships and 1 doctor to 100 people on a small ship (assuming 50 cabins is 100 people including crew maybe its 150). I’m sure it depends of if you are a cruise designed for the newly wed or the nearly dead. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/96 "2020-09-21T04:18:50Z")
The tour began in Quito (9-11k feet), then flew us to the ship in Galapagos (0 feet). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/97 "2020-09-21T04:25:18Z")
> [@susan](#): > > The tour began in Quito (9-11k feet), then flew us to the ship in Galapagos (0 feet) That is a pretty short flight. Did it just lift off the ground, then immediately land? 😁 ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/98 "2020-09-21T04:31:23Z")
Ahem. It began with several days in Quito, then we flew to Galapagos, an altitude change of approximately 10,000 feet. Not a flight distance of 10,000 feet. Nor 10,000 to 0 without a hypotenuse. That would be a plunge, not a flight. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032/99 "2020-09-23T14:03:50Z")
[https://www.yahoo.com/gma/cruise-ship-during-pandemic-reporters-090743555.html](https://www.yahoo.com/gma/cruise-ship-during-pandemic-reporters-090743555.html) What cruising may look like going forward. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cruise-ships-ever-be-the-same-again/852032.md?page=4)