Cruise line Princess Cruises has confirmed 12 cases of coronavirus on board its ship Coral Princess.

In response to a reported small cluster of cases of respiratory illness and in an abundance of caution, Coral Princess collected and sent 13 covid-19 test samples to Barbados on 31 March.

The results confirm 12 positive cases of the disease, including seven guests and five crew.

The cruise ship is on its way to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale with an estimated arrival date of 4 April.

Princess Cruises has said that it “continues to seek approvals through multiple diplomatic channels, and to work with local officials for disembarkation in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida”.

The cruise line has confirmed that guests will continue to self-isolate in their staterooms, with all meals delivered by room service. Crew will remain in their staterooms when not working.

There are 1,898 people on board including 1,020 guests and 878 crew members. Both internet and guest stateroom telephone service remain complimentary.

Coral Princess set sail on 5 March from San Antonio (Santiago) for a South America voyage which was scheduled to end in Buenos Aires on 19 March.

In response to the global spread of coronavirus, Princess Cruises announced a voluntary 60-day pause of operations on 12 March.

Following the pause of operations announcement, Coral Princess had planned to disembark in Buenos Aires on 19 March and 20 March.

However, due to ongoing port closures and changing regulations, Coral Princess encountered challenges disembarking guests despite best efforts and additional complications with cancellation of air flights.

Following this, Anvisa (the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency) also denied the disembarkation of Coral Princess guests in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Visit princess.com for the latest Coral Princess updates.

Our view:

The cruise industry is facing an unprecedented and ever-changing situation, and we are committed to keeping you informed with the most up-to-date news. However, we firmly believe that the cruise industry will bounce back. When it does, we’ll be on hand to help you get back to selling the cruises that people love.