Princess Cruises, its guests and travel advisor partners have contended with several challenging situations over the past few days involving COVID-19 response. Here's the latest on Grand Princess, Regal Princess and Royal Princess.
Golden Princess to Dock at Oakland
After days of being held by federal officials about 10 miles off the California coast, Grand Princess has been cleared to dock today at the Port of Oakland, CA. Disembarkation is expected to begin today, but timing has yet to be announced.
In its 10 p.m. Sunday statement, Princess said: "We received official confirmation prior to a press conference held by California Governor Gavin Newsom and others."
Disembarkation will commence in order of priority, as defined and directed by both state and local authorities. Guests needing the most acute medical care will be disembarked as a priority and transported to California hospitals.
According to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, following health screenings, guests who disembark who are California residents will go to a federally operated facility within California for testing and isolation, while non-Californians will be transported by the federal government to facilities in other states. Crew will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship.
But not all guests are expected to be off the ship today. "It is expected to be a multiple day process," the line said in that late Sunday update. "The U.S. Coast Guard will be sending California Health & Human Services teams to assist with medical triage, screening and interviews, and prioritizing those who require the most acute care. To avoid delays, testing will be conducted when guests arrive at their onward destination."
All crew will remain onboard too, and after the guest disembarkation is completed, Grand Princess then will depart from San Francisco Bay. Plans for a crew quarantine are still being determined.
Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, said the line offered its "sincere gratitude and appreciation to the federal, state and local authorities coordinating, collaborating and activating resources and personnel in support of this response to provide care and attend to the health and well-being of our guests and crew."
Princess stressed that the safety, health and well-being of guests and crew is its top priority, and "we continue to make every effort to ensure they are safe and comfortable while they remain onboard," the statement said.
Swartz, who along with Arnold Donald, president and CEO, Carnival Corp., addressed media questions in a press briefing attended by Travel Agent late Saturday afternoon also emphasized that the line had learned much from its recent experience in Japan with Diamond Princess.
For example, it mobilized its team to gather prescription re-fill needs from guests on Friday and subsequently delivered the first 405 prescriptions, prioritizing the most urgently required. "We’re processing the remaining prescriptions according to priority and are awaiting information on when these will be delivered to the ship," the line said Sunday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved a rotation program to allow guests both fresh air and sunlight, made possible in part by instructing guests to adhere to social distancing. And the line continues to provide complimentary Internet and telephone service to stay in contact with their families and loved ones.
Princess Cruises also confirmed that one guest was disembarked over the weekend for medical reasons that were unrelated to COVID-19.
The saga began late last week when Grand Princess, which was slated to dock at San Francisco, was held offshore by federal and CDC authorities when the first phase of health screenings of 45 guests and crew onboard Grand Princess were completed. The line learned from Vice President Mike Pence while he was conducting a press conference and simultaneously by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control (CDC) speaking to Princess' shipboard doctor that, among the samples tested, 21 people had tested positive for COVID-19, which included two guests and 19 crew.
Regal Princess Docked Sunday Night
Separately, a Regal Princess ship held off the coast of Port Everglades, FL, over the weekend -- while the CDC awaited test results for two crew members -- was given the "all clear" to disembark guests by the CDC on Sunday and docked at Port Everglades Sunday night.
Princess' late Sunday statement said that test results for the two crew members tested for COVID-19 onboard Regal Princess were negative. So, Regal Princess was given permission by the CDC to dock and resume sailing.
Princess said late Sunday in an update: "The ship will immediately begin disembarkation to clear the ship tonight. Guests who wish to use the ship as a hotel will be allowed to re-embark for the night."
The line also said that unexpected expenses, such as air change fees and reimbursement of reasonable non-refundable out-of-pocket expenses, will be considered on a case-by-case basis when submitted to Princess.
Royal Princess Cruise Cancelled
In another precautionary coronavirus situation, Royal Princess‘ seven-day cruise out of Los Angeles on Saturday was cancelled after authorities pulled the cruise's authority to sail. It all began because one crew member on Royal Princess had previously transferred from the Grand Princess.
Travel Agent will post additional updates here as they're received.
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