Just a few days after the Symphony of the Seas experienced a COVID-19 outbreak which infected at least forty-eight (48) guests, another Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Odyssey of the Seas, today suffered a COVID-19 outbreak involving at least fifty-five (55) people, including fifty-two (52) crew members and at least three (3) guests.
USA TODAY first reported the outbreak on the Odyssey of the Seas. The newspaper initially reported an outbreak of fifty (50) people, involving three (3) passengers and forty-seven (47) crew members who tested tested positive for COVID-19. The cruise ship departed from Fort Lauderdale on Saturday for an eight-night cruise to the Caribbean.
There is a curious twist with the outbreak on the Odyssey of the Seas. The cruise ship quickly turned around on Saturday after it reached the Bahamas and returned to port in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday to disembark a symptomatic passenger, who was positive with the virus, and his close contacts. It appears that USA TODAY then picked up the tweet and reported on this unusual development.
Seems that @USATODAY picked up on your tweet about the @RoyalCaribbean Odyssey of the Seas and #COVID19 https://t.co/1uFoWxE9CN
— James (Jim) Walker (@CruiseLaw) December 21, 2021
COVID-19 Outbreak Grows Aboard Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas
The popular Crew Center reported later today that the number of people infected increased to at least fifty-two (52) crew members and three (3) pasengers. Further, the port of Curacao refused to permit the infected cruise ship to dock. Crew Center reported that “the cruise ship was scheduled to dock at Curacao today, however due to the current status, the vessel was denied clearance by the port authority, and disembarkation of guests was canceled.”
3 guests and 52 crew members on board Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas test positive for COVID-19. https://t.co/9xVbNNNJ8o pic.twitter.com/Ri030oQFef
— Crew Center (@CrewCenter) December 22, 2021
Sitting in port waiting for the Captain to let us know IF we will be allowed off the ship. #odysseyoftheseas https://t.co/fc5WUfyrzC
— Dodson (@LifeAsDodson) December 22, 2021
According to USA TODAY, the Odyssey of the Seas sailed with 3,587 passengers and 1,599 crew. The Crew Center report that the ship is currently sailing with 3802 guests onboard.
All crew and passengers who are twelve (12) years old and over were to be vaccinated. Children under twelve (12) were not required to be vaccinated,
@RoyalCaribbean currently on Odyssey of the seas denied entry to curaçao. This is a Covid positive cruise. It’s like a royal carribean masterclass on how to set back all cruising progress with greed. Too many unvac’d. Too many on board. Greed
— hackwithirma@yahoo.com (@hackwithirma123) December 22, 2021
There have been a total of over one hundred (100) people infetected with the virus on just these two (2) Royal Caribbean cruise ships, the Odyssey and the Symphony.
Royal Caribbean Leads Cruise Industry in Ships Reporting COVID-19 Cases
Royal Caribbean Has 23 Cruise Ships Which It Operates and / or Owns With COVID-19 Aboard
Of course, there are many positive cases on many cruise ships owned and operated by Royal Caribbean. The COVID-19 color code tracking report maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that there are fifteen (15) cases of COVID-19 on Royal Caribbean International ships operated by the company as well as eight (8) cases of COVID-19 on Celebrity and Silversea cruise ships which are owned by Royal Caribbean. The twenty-three (23) cruise ships is by far the most infected ships owned by a single cruise company.
Additional COVID-19 Cases Reported on Jewel of the Seas and MSC Seashore
More COVID-19 Cases Aboard The Jewel of of the Seas
We have reported on a steady stream of COVID-19 cases on the Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas. The latest as of today is that the Jewel has six people on it who are positive for COVID-19 – three (3) guests and three (3) crew members. This information was provided by a knowledgeable crew member who wishes to remain anonymous. This crew member also sent us a copy of an email from Royal Caribbean’s home office in Miami, which states in part:
‘ . . . With the uptick of positive cases and added concerns about variants . . . we’re adjusting our measures as needed, including requiring masks indoors on Royal Caribbean International ships, ensuring our crew members receive their booster dose as soon as they are eligible, and strongly recommending to our guests they too receive their booster dose once eligible to do so.”
Twenty-Eight on the MSC Seashore Positive for COVID-19
The popular Crew Center also reports that }twenty-eight guests and crew” on the MSC Seashore tested positive for Covid-19, “as the omicron variant surges in the U.S.”
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December 22, 2021 Evening Update: The Miami Herald reports on the outbreak: “Second Royal Caribbean ship has COVID-19 outbreak and it’s denied entry to Curacao and Aruba”
Image Credit: Odyssey of the Seas – Oldih CC 4.0 wikipedia / commons
