Latest news with #SymphonyoftheSeas
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Royal Caribbean alerts cruisers about disease linked to hot tubs
These days, most people understand the general risk of illness that comes with bringing a large number of people together into a semi-enclosed space like a cruise ship. Many people don't realize though that cruise ship hot tub use can potentially increase their risk of becoming ill from a disease that isn't spread through person-to-person contact. Related: CDC says throw this food out after salmonella sickens cruisers Over the last couple of years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been working to educate cruise lines about the increased risk for Legionella bacteria growth in private-balcony hot tubs. When Legionella bacteria grows in hot tub water systems, it can be transmitted to hot tub users through inhaled water droplets. In some cases, cruise passengers exposed to the bacteria later become sick with Legionnaires' disease, a severe type of pneumonia. Although rare, Legionnaires' disease is a growing health concern for cruise passengers because private-balcony hot tubs have become a popular amenity on many newer cruise ships. Since private-balcony hot tubs aren't used as often as public ones, their maintenance requirements typically aren't as strict, which can create conditions favorable for Legionella bacteria growth. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. Over the last few months, Royal Caribbean has been notifying passengers on multiple cruises about a recent case of Legionnaires' disease, according to an unofficial fan blog not affiliated with the cruise line. "The CDC has advised that while they are unsure where exposed, a guest who recently sailed on Symphony of the Seas was later diagnosed with Legionella," Royal Caribbean informed passengers. Royal Caribbean sent a similar notification to Symphony of the Seas' passengers in January after two other passengers fell ill with the disease after sailing on the ship in late 2024. Related: Here's when Royal Caribbean can cancel your cruise vacation Symphony of the Seas is not the only cruise ship to be associated with the disease, however. In October 2024, the CDC reported that it was notified of 12 cases of Legionnaires' disease among travelers sailing on two cruise ships from separate cruise lines between November 2022 and June 2024. Their investigation linked both cruise ship Legionnaires' disease outbreaks to private-balcony hot tubs. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. It's important for cruisers to know that private-balcony hot tubs are more likely to experience Legionella growth than public hot tubs found in common areas because they are not required to be disinfected as frequently as public ones. The CDC has been working to ensure that cruise lines understand the hot tub features that increase the risk for Legionella growth and transmission, and how cruise lines can adapt maintenance and operations protocols to reduce that risk. "Royal Caribbean is working hard to protect the health of guests and crew onboard Symphony of the Seas," the cruise line assured passengers in its recent Legionnaires' disease notification emails. The cruise line informed passengers that it stepped up its sanitation efforts as a precautionary measure and followed all CDC guidance. Related: Princess Cruises ship gets banned from entering Caribbean port Although most healthy people who are exposed to Legionella do not get sick, some people are at an increased risk including current and former smokers, adults over 50, and people with specific health issues or conditions. Legionnaires' disease symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches, and headaches. "If you experience these symptoms and have concerns, please reach out to your preferred medical professional," the cruise line urged. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Royal Caribbean issues serious health warning to passengers
Although cruises offer many benefits to vacationers, they do come with some health risks that all travelers should take into consideration. Cruises bring a large number of people together into a semi-enclosed shipboard environment, making it easy for illnesses to spread through person-to-person contact. This is why passengers are constantly encouraged to wash their hands throughout their cruise, especially when entering addition to person-to-person contact, it's also possible for passengers to be exposed to communicable diseases through the air and through inhaled water droplets while on board a cruise ship. Cruise lines must take special care to minimize the growth of Legionella bacteria in water systems to prevent transmission of the bacteria to passengers through inhaled water droplets, especially when using hot tubs. On rare occasions, cruise passengers become sick with Legionnaires' disease, a serious type of pneumonia, after returning from a cruise as a result of Legionella exposure. This was the case for one person who recently sailed on a popular Royal Caribbean cruise on multiple sailings in March and April 2025 received emails from Royal Caribbean to notify them of a recent case of Legionnaires' disease, according to an unofficial fan blog not affiliated with the cruise line. 'The CDC has advised that while they are unsure where exposed, a guest who recently sailed on Symphony of the Seas was later diagnosed with Legionella,' the letter stated. Royal Caribbean explained that heightened sanitation protocols were implemented as a precautionary measure, and that the cruise line followed all CDC guidance to protect the health of passengers and crew. The cruise line also explained how Legionella spreads and the symptoms of Legionnaires' disease.'It is important to know that Legionella is not contagious from person to person. It is contracted by inhaling water droplets from a source containing the bacteria, which can be found throughout the world in any environment containing water — ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams, as well as municipal water systems, fountains, and whirlpools.' Not all people who are exposed to Legionella become sick. Most healthy people do not, but certain people are at an increased risk of getting sick from Legionella exposure — current and former smokers, adults over 50, and people with specific health issues or conditions. Symptoms of Legionnaires' disease include cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches, and headaches. Royal Caribbean advised passengers to reach out to a medical professional if they experience these symptoms and have January 2025, Royal Caribbean sent this same type of notification to Symphony of the Seas' passengers after two other passengers fell ill with Legionnaires' disease after sailing on the ship. One of the passengers had sailed on the ship in October 2024, while the other sailed in December 2024, according to the CDC. Past CDC investigations conducted between November 2022 and July 2024 linked previous outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease to private outdoor hot tubs on cruise private balcony hot tubs are popular amenities, but passengers should be aware that they are more likely to experience Legionella growth than public hot tubs in common areas. This is because private hot tubs are not typically subject to the same rigorous maintenance requirements as public ones. 'Given the range of hot tub–type devices offered as amenities across the cruise industry, to reduce risk for Legionella growth and transmission, it is important for cruise ship water management program staff members to inventory and assess private balcony hot tubs and adapt public hot tub maintenance and operations protocols for use on private outdoor hot tubs,' the CDC recommended in its 2024 investigation report. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Royal Caribbean has bad port news for passengers
Frustrating cruise itinerary changes continue to plague Royal Caribbean passengers hoping to sail to one sought-after cruise port. For months, passengers booked on one Royal Caribbean ship have been receiving the bad news that their cruise's call to the destination had to be canceled due to construction work at the pier. Now, the ongoing problem with the cruise port is impacting another hugely popular Royal Caribbean ship, the situation is out of Royal Caribbean's control, it's still very disappointing for the passengers who may have selected a particular sailing specifically for the destinations the ship will visit on the itinerary. Recent rumors suggested the pier repair work could wrap up in early 2025, but new updates indicate that the port will remain unavailable until at least late July. Royal Caribbean has already made itinerary changes for several more sailings as a result. This week, passengers booked on multiple cruises on Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas received the same disappointing news that passengers booked on Symphony of the Seas have been receiving for months. Their cruise vacation will no longer include a visit to San Juan, Puerto only pier at the San Juan Cruise Port that can accommodate Royal Caribbean's biggest ships has been closed to these cruise ships for months. The closure stems from an incident with an MSC Cruises ship in April 2024 that resulted in the loss of a dolphin mooring structure just off the main pier. After the incident, the U.S. Coast Guard established an operational control disallowing cruise ship operations at San Juan Port's Pier-3 West until it can be determined that the structure remains sound for cruise ship port's other piers continue to welcome cruise ships, but only Pier-3 West can accommodate Royal Caribbean's massive Icon- and Oasis-class ships. Recently, the San Juan Cruise Port filed a negligence lawsuit against MSC Cruises and its insurers to attempt to recover the costs of the damages to the pier structure. This new development likely slowed the process of reopening the cruise port, contributing to the continued cancellations of planned cruise ship Caribbean recently notified passengers booked on four Icon of the Seas sailings that the San Juan Cruise Port won't be able to welcome them and their cruise itinerary has changed, according to The impacted cruises include May 3, June 7, June 21, and July 19 sailings on Icon of the Seas. "Before your vacation begins, we wanted to inform you about some changes to our itinerary. Due to ongoing improvements to the pier infrastructure in San Juan, the port operators have advised us that the port will not be ready in time for our visit," the cruise line states in the emails sent to passengers booked on the four sailings. The May 3, June 7 and June 21 cruises will now visit Ponce, Puerto Rico in place of San Juan while the July 19 sailing will instead call to Phillipsburg, St. Caribbean Blog reports that the cruise line also made big changes to the itinerary for Symphony of the Seas' April 6 sailing to replace its planned call to San Juan with other ports. Instead of visiting San Juan, St. Maarten, and Perfect Day at CocoCay, the cruise will now sail to Labadee, Haiti, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and Nassau, Bahamas, in addition to Perfect Day at CocoCay. The ongoing pier closure in San Juan also impacted Disney Cruise Line's newest ship, the Disney Treasure, in early February. The cruise line was forced to revise the itinerary for its Feb. 1 sailing on the Treasure to skip San Juan due to the unavailable berth. Instead, the cruise visited the cruise line's private destination in The Bahamas, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawyer blasts Royal Caribbean for cruise ship sanitation report
With norovirus outbreaks reported on multiple cruise ships in recent weeks, it's no surprise that travelers are questioning sanitation on cruise ships. Since the start of 2025, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported three norovirus outbreaks on Holland America Line cruise ships. Princess Cruises had one norovirus outbreak in January and Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas had one outbreak of an unknown cause in early millions of people sail on cruise ships each year without getting sick, illness can easily spread on vacations at sea since cruise ships carry a large number of passengers in a confined space. Cruise ship sanitation is an important part of preventing outbreaks, but person-to-person contact on board the ship is the most common reason people get sick. The CDC helps the cruise industry prevent and control public health issues on cruise ships through its Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). Along with information on outbreaks, the VSP provides cruise ship passengers with tips for healthy cruising, and access to cruise ship inspection scores and reports. While cruise ship inspection reports can be a helpful resource for passengers planning a cruise, they also create opportunity for people who want to expose problems with the cruise lawyer who claims to make a living from suing cruise lines gained attention on TikTok recently for calling out Royal Caribbean for one of its recent VSP inspection reports that listed a number of violations. In the TikTok video, Spencer Aronfeld (@cruiseshiplawyer) suggests that Royal Caribbean should have canceled a sailing on Symphony of the Seas after a 'horrifying' inspection revealed 'numerous food safety and hygiene issues, including improperly stored food, raw eggs not at the correct temperature, and crew members touching ice with open wounds.''Several children also fell ill with severe gastrointestinal problems, but the daycare center failed to follow protocols in reporting these cases,' Aronfeld noted. Although Aronfeld accurately states in the video that Symphony of the Seas was one point away from failing its inspection, and many passengers would likely find the violations concerning, the lawyer may have ta it a bit too far when he suggested that Royal Caribbean should have canceled the it's important to point out that Symphony of the Seas did in fact receive a passing inspection score. It takes an 85 to pass and the ship received an 86. The VSP also requires cruise ships to correct all violations and some of the ship's violations would have been corrected immediately during the inspection. Others may take longer to correct but the cruise ship is required to follow up with a corrective action statement that describes how violations were corrected. Even if the ship had received a failing score, it probably wouldn't have received a no-sail recommendation from the VSP. 'People sometimes assume that we will recommend a ship not sail if it fails an inspection,' the CDC states in the VSP section of its website. 'However, we have rarely issued such recommendations.''We may recommend a ship not sail if there are imminent public health risks,' the CDC continues. 'Examples of such risks are: Inability to properly chlorinate potable (drinking) water. Inability to keep food within safe temperatures. Inadequate facilities for cleaning and sanitizing food equipment. Inability to properly dispose of solid or liquid waste. We may also recommend a ship not sail during an infectious disease outbreak where continuing normal operations could subject newly arriving passengers to disease.' While the VSP's public health standards are crucial guidelines cruise lines need to follow to help prevent large numbers of passengers and crew members getting sick, passengers have a role in supporting healthy cruising too. Reporting your illness if you're sick and washing your hands often are simple, but effective ways that you can help limit the spread of germs on board any cruise ship. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
