Five Diverted Cruise Ships Visit Port of San Diego This Week

Monday, 04 May 2009
Contact: John Gilmore, (619) 686-7206, Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

Thousands more tourists will make landfall in San Diego this week when their diverted cruise ships sail into San Diego bay. Major cruise lines eliminated stops to Mexico after health officials urged the public to avoid non-essential travel south of the border due to the swine flu outbreak.

Today, May 4 through Sunday, May 10, two Princess Cruise Lines ships, one Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise line ship and The World, a luxury liner where people live aboard the ship and sail the globe, will all make calls in San Diego.

The Sapphire Princess stopped for the day Monday, before heading to Santa Barbara. That ship will be followed on Tuesday, May 5, by the diverted Star Princess. Last week, Princess Cruises announced they would offer a future discount for some passengers affected by changes in their itineraries.

"Three of the seven affected cruises were sold as voyages exclusively to Mexico, and we therefore realize that these passengers are not receiving the cruise vacation they had anticipated. Therefore as a goodwill gesture we are offering these passengers a 50 percent future credit on their cruise fare paid, for any sailing booked by the end of April 2011," the cruise line announced in a statement.

On Friday, May 8, Celebrity Cruise Line's Infinity will dock at the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal for a short stay, after sailing from Guatemala. The vessel is due to arrive around 2 p.m. and depart at midnight. That same day, Residensea's luxury liner, The World, will arrive for an overnight stay. The ship is home to an exclusive community of people who live on or rent one of the 165 private residences located aboard. The World will depart on Saturday around midnight.

On Sunday, May 10, Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas will replace its port calls in Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with an extended, overnight port call in San Diego.

All of the cruise lines have instituted a number of precautions in the wake of the swine flu outbreak, including screening passengers and crew regarding any recent travel to Mexico, more thoroughly sanitizing high-touch areas, and providing hand sanitizers throughout the ship. They have also announced that if necessary, onboard medical staff can isolate and treat guests or crew members who display flu-like symptoms, using the supply of anti-viral medications kept onboard all ships.

Last week, four other cruise ships made diverted stops in San Diego.

Monitor the following sites for the latest information on the swine flu:

• Centers for Disease Control
• San Diego County Office of Emergency Services
• California Emergency Management Agency

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