On Wednesday, November 11, a passenger onboard SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream I received a preliminary COVID-positive test result. SeaDream I is the first cruise ship to resume service in the Caribbean since the beginning of the pandemic.
The ship's captain informed guests of the preliminary positive test over the intercom system shortly before lunchtime. Passengers were instructed to return to their staterooms and remain isolated.
At the time of the announcement, SeaDream I was anchored off Union Island, Grenadines, and was immediately headed back to homeport Bridgetown Barbados.
Multilayer extensive testing for Coronavirus has been part of SeaDream's efforts to create a COVID-negative bubble aboard its yachts. Passengers were tested both in advance of traveling to the cruise ship and also before boarding.
SeaDream Yacht Club was confident in its safety measures when it announced its winter cruises from Barbados, which commenced on November 7. The Caribbean voyages followed a successful summer season in Norway, which, according to the company, had "resulted in zero positive cases during the entire Norwegian summer season."
In addition to Barbados, SeaDream's itineraries visit St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, which are currently open to American tourists.
SeaDream's cruise ships (marketed as "superyachts") feature 56 staterooms, max passenger capacity 112 (plus 95 crew-staff). Carrying fewer than 250 passengers outside of US waters allows the cruise line to operate outside of the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) orders around cruising.
For more SeaDream I accidents and incidents see the ship's CruiseMinuspage.