Join our crew and become one of the 104,565 members that receive our newsletter.

Queen Mary 2 Skips New York On Omicron Concerns

FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen on the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship by Cunard Line, owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. as it is docked at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Brooklyn, New York City, U.S., December 20, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

Queen Mary 2 Skips New York On Omicron Concerns

Reuters
Total Views: 1589
December 30, 2021

By Praveen Paramasivam (Reuters) – Carnival Corp’s Cunard cruise line said on Wednesday its Queen Mary 2 ship would skip a scheduled stop at New York and instead extend its stay in Barbados until Jan. 2 to bring in more staffers.

Cunard said its decision to add more crew members was a precautionary measure, but it did not detail why it needed more workers.

The ship, Cunard’s flagship liner named by Queen Elizabeth, is among the more than 85 vessels the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating for COVID-19 cases.

The CDC starts an investigation if 0.10% or more of passengers on guest voyages test positive for COVID-19.

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has sparked fears that the CDC may reintroduce a temporary ban on cruising, months after cruise operators resumed operations.

Queen Mary 2, the only ocean liner from Southampton to New York, left the British port city on Dec. 13 and will sail back to the United Kingdom from Barbados to ensure it reaches Southampton on Jan. 10 as planned.

“The trip started out well. The entire ship was tested on our fourth day out of the Brooklyn Red Hook port. As far as we could tell there were five or six cabins affected,” retired architect Sandy Weinberg Benjamin, who is cruising with her husband, said.

Few passengers on the 28-night voyage said the mood on Queen Mary 2 had been largely upbeat, although family members of a few guests were concerned due to connectivity issues on the liner.

Cunard said it would arrange flights for guests due to disembark in New York on Jan. 3, but Benjamin said she could not figure out how the cruise line would find flights for more than thousand guests out of Barbados.

Carnival, whose shares fell marginally, said its other brands are not canceling any cruises.

(Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh and Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni and Maju Samuel, Reuters)

Unlock Exclusive Insights Today!

Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.

Sign Up
Back to Main
polygon icon polygon icon

Why Join the gCaptain Club?

Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.

Sign Up
close

JOIN OUR CREW

Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 104,565 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.

Join Our Crew

Join the 104,565 members that receive our newsletter.