Cruise lines cancel stops over flu worry
MIAMI (AP) – Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line have suspended stops at Mexican ports over concerns about swine flu.
Carnival said on its Web site it has canceled all calls at Mexican ports through May 4, and in many cases will be able to substitute the canceled stop with an alternative port.
Royal Caribbean had said it was monitoring the situation but telling passengers not to worry because the outbreaks are inland, not in the Mexican coastal cities popular with cruise tourists. But later Tuesday the company said it was suspending port calls indefinitely in Mexico until more is known about the swine flu outbreak.
The move affects its Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises ships.
Norwegian is canceling Norwegian Pearl’s final two calls in Mexico this week after saying earlier in the day that it was monitoring the situation and asking passengers about their health before cruises start but keeping the trips.
Norwegian’s schedules do not include any other ports in Mexico until the end of September 2009, the company said.
Evan Hanna, of Stafford, Va., was already at sea and headed to Grand Cayman and Cozumel when he and other passengers got word their Carnival ship would skip Mexico.
“There was a lot of yelling at the ship’s officials,” Hanna wrote in an e-mail from the oceanliner. “Most passengers still wanted to go to Cozumel, and there were a lot that wanted to go back to the home port early.”
By Tuesday afternoon, most had gotten over it, Hanna said.