Cruise Critic News: UnCruise Ship Returning to Port After Passenger Tests Positive for COVID

[LauraS]

(11: 45 p.m. EDT) -- The first U.S. cruise to set sail since the COVID-19 pandemic began will cut short its voyage return to the port of Juneau, Alaska, after a passenger received notification they had tested positive for the virus. UnCruise Adventures' Wilderness Adventurer, which left Juneau on Saturday for a weeklong cruise with 37 passengers ...

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[Dazed07]

Hi, I'm one of the Uncruise passengers (not the positive one, at least not yet), sitting in a hotel room in Juneau waiting for the latest round of test results.
     First, none of us, passengers or crew, to the best of my knowledge, are showing any symptoms.

     Second, Uncruise has handled this very well. During the cruise the first three days, strong hygiene was practiced in terms of cleaning, food serving, face masks, daily temperature checking and social distancing on board. Passenger levels were low (37 vs approx 60 capacity) and staff levels high (26 plus senior operations staff). The passenger who tested positive did so at the Juneau airport, before arriving on board, but the results of that test didn't arrive until three days into the cruise. At that point, the ship headed directly back to port, meals were served in cabins, and extra precautions were taken. On arrival, passengers walked to a nearby hotel, where meals and laundry service have all been arranged by Uncruise. Senior cruise line staff have been in constant contact with us and very helpful. Today, one day after arrival, we were retested, with results expected Sunday-Monday. What happens next depends on the results and the decisions of the state of Alaska.
    Uncruise passengers tend to be sophisticated and adventurous travelers and we all seem to be taking this in stride. People were aware of the risks upfront. Out of the usual hundreds of thousands of cruisers over the Alaska summer, the 37 of us got three days of kayaking, bushwhacking and whale watching in a beautiful part of the world.