“It can be particularly stressful for the crew,” Sara Young, a spa director who previously worked at Carnival UK, tells us. “They have to monitor what is happening without panicking the guests onboard. Cleaning protocols are increased whenever there is an outbreak onboard – a lot of the extra cleaning is done at night so that it’s not so obvious – and they have to make sure that they don’t get sick themselves.”
“It also puts added pressure on the crew when certain areas like the buffet have to close down because they have to start delivering meals to the bedrooms when the guests are in quarantine,” she adds.
Tara Johnson* has worked as an entertainer on cruises for 12 years, so is well aware of the procedures and protocols cruise ships have in place regarding sickness. She also described the difficulties faced by staff onboard during outbreaks. “Meals are delivered to your cabin door, and often, your roommate will have to isolate, too,” she says. “It can lead to operational problems when two people from the same department need to isolate, as it can affect the teams.”
Discussing the protocol regarding passengers, Tara replied: “It is harder to enforce these rules with guests – they are on vacation and obviously don’t want to stay in their cabins if they’re sick. Looking after passengers is the number one priority. However, they don’t always do simple things like washing their hands before they eat or taking the hand gel offered to them at restaurant entrances.”
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Sara also noted how difficult it can be for staff to maintain a sense of normalcy for guests during outbreaks. “Cruise ships are normally high energy positive places where strangers chat to each other over their common enjoyment of the cruise,” she said. “But, when there’s sickness onboard, guests become a lot more reserved and anxious. They tend to keep to themselves more, and attendance to things like entertainment shows drops.”
