Carnival Cruise Ships Skip Caribbean Ports

   March 4, 2020 ,   Accidents

Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, CCL-Carnival Cruise Line is implementing itinerary changes regarding some Caribbean ports of call. According to an official statement, CCL is implementing some itinerary changes on voyages with scheduled visits to Jamaica (Ocho Rios) and Grand Cayman Island (George Town) this week. A number of Caribbean destinations continued to work through their policies with regard to cruise calls.

CCL added that while the company is following all US-CDC and World Health Organization screening protocols and guidelines, Carnival wanted to "avoid any possibility of a visit to a destination where there is uncertainty or we risk being turned away.”

"There is no health situation on board to trigger this concern, but we are making this change to avoid even the possibility of a disruption. We understand some guests will be disappointed and trust they will understand that this decision is being made to protect their vacation and maximize their experience with us.”

Carnival Horizon cruise ship

In the case of Carnival Horizon, the ship's itinerary underwent a massive switch. Original ports of call Jamaica, Cozumel and Grand Cayman were replaced with the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and Nassau.

Passengers on Carnival Freedom were notified that instead of Grand Cayman and Montego Bay, they would be visiting Key West and Belize.

For Coronavirus updates on cruise ship quarantines (infected passengers and crew) and top-pandemic countries (COVID-19 cases and deaths, daily updated statistics) see at CruiseMapper's Norovirus page.