First Cruise Back in Caribbean Has COVID-19 Case On Board

FILE PHOTO: MS Sea Dream 1. Photo: Gordon Leggett/CC BY-SA 4.0

Update: Seadream Halts Cruise as More Passengers Test Positive for Virus

Passengers are locked down on board the SeaDream 1 cruise ship after a passenger had tested positive for COVID-19.

The cruise is the first to take place in the Caribbean, the world’s top cruise destination, since pandemic lockdowns were put in place back in March.

Reports say there are 53 passengers and 66 crew on board the vessel, according to passenger Gene Sloan, who is also a cruise journalist with ThePointsGuy.com. The ship was put into a lockdown on Wednesday, as the ship was anchored off Union Island in the Grenadines, after the Captain made an announcement that a passenger on board had tested positive for the virus.

Sloan reported today that passengers are remain in lockdown in their cabins for a second day as local authorities work with the captain on “a best possible way will move forward.” Meanwhile, shipboard testing is underway and all crew have reportedly tested negative for the virus, according to Sloan, while the process to test all passengers is continuing.

The SeaDream 1 is operated by SeaDream Yacht Club. The vessel departed Barbados on a 7-day Caribbean cruise on November 7.

“This journey will take us to beautiful beaches while enjoying a safe environment onboard and SeaDream’s signature service. We are proud to be the only line currently sailing in the Caribbean!” the company wrote on social media.

SeaDream Yacht Club describes the SeaDream 1 and its twin sister ship as intimate “mega-yachts”. The 344-foot vessel have capacity for 112 guests and 95 crew, according to the company’s website.

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