On Sunday, the U.S. Department of State tweeted an update on their guidance for cruise ship passengers suggesting U.S.Citizens, particular those with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship. The guidance does not prohibit US Citizens from traveling via cruise ship.

Recently, the guidance suggested U.S. citizens should reconsider travel by cruise ship to or within Asia.  U.S. citizens planning travel by cruise ship elsewhere should be aware that, due to the current public health situation, many countries have implemented strict screening procedures in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Below is the latest update copied directly from the U.S. Department of State at the time of publication.

U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship.  CDC notes increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment. In order to curb the spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented strict screening procedures that have denied port entry rights to ships and prevented passengers from disembarking.  In some cases, local authorities have permitted disembarkation but subjected passengers to local quarantine procedures.  While the U.S. government has evacuated some cruise ship passengers in recent weeks, repatriation flights should not be relied upon as an option for U.S. citizens under the potential risk of quarantine by local authorities.  

This is a fluid situation.  CDC notes that older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease.  This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships.  Passengers with plans to travel by cruise ship should contact their cruise line companies directly for further information and continue to monitor the Travel.state.gov website and see the latest information from the CDC.

U.S. Department of State Cruise Ship Passengers – March 8, 2020 7:00 PM – archived version

For the latest and most current information from the U.S. Department of State, please visit their dedicated page for cruise ship passengers.

The CDC published an update with the following key points.

• CDC recommends travelers, particularly those with underlying health issues, defer all cruise ship travel worldwide.
• Sustained community spread of respiratory illness caused by COVID-19 has been reported in many countries.
• Cruise ship passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
• Older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease. This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships.

What is considered an underlying health issue? Great question. I could not find a comprehensive list, but this is more of a question for your doctor, not this blog or goole to answer. However, I did find an example mentioned during a recent COVID-19 briefing from the CDC. Below in an excerpt from transcript:

Older people and people with underlying health conditions, like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, for example, were about twice as likely to develop serious outcomes versus otherwise younger, healthier people. 

Transcript for the CDC Telebriefing Update on COVID-19 March 3, 2020

On Friday, Disney Cruise Line, as well as, other cruise lines issued notices to passengers booked on upcoming sailings allowing them to rebook for future cruises. Disney Cruise Line is offering full credit towards an upcoming cruises through May 31st (July 25th for the Magic), and allowing guests to cancel up to the day prior to sailing.