The cruise ship Sun Princess which set sail from Australia in order to return its Filipino and Indonesian crew members back home is facing repatriation problems. Sun Princess is currently off the coast of Manila however some Filipino crew onboard report that they are not allowed to disembark the ship. According to them, the government is not allowing the disembarkation process to begin and they haven’t received any official announcement by the local authorities.

Carnival Australia President Sture Myrmell has come out in strong defence of the cruise industry after Australian authorities announced restrictions on foreign-flag cruise ships, basically saying they are not welcomed.

The 80 Filipino crew members of the cruise ship Diamond Princess who earlier tested positive for COVID-19 after disembarking the vessel in Yokohama, Japan have all recovered, said the Philippine embassy in Tokyo.

Dear Crew, whether you are at home battling through daily tasks, trying to cope with our new reality or still on board, trying to keep sane and healthy, - we are here for you.

Crew Center keeps its hand on crew-news pulse and does an admirable job at helping/supporting whoever we can.

More than 1000 crew members are in quarantine on the cruise ship Ruby Princess after 133 passengers (107 in New South Wales and 26 interstate) have tested positive for Covid-19 upon disembarking the ship in Sydney’s Circular Quay on Thursday 19 March. 

Dear Crew Worldwide,

How are you today? We really hope you are managing as well as it is possible in these uncharted waters. We know it’s scary to find ourselves in this new reality with suspended jobs, no certainty and plenty of challenges to come. So, let’s take a few moments and explore the state of our inner world, our inner selves.

Following the news after multiply media outlets reported that four people on board Rubi Princess tested positive for COVID-19 after getting off the ship, Princess Cruises said there are no positive cases on board.

In a letter distributed today among Rubi Princess crew members the company said:

A new study released by the CDC says that the crew onboard quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess were impacted by the spread of coronavirus. The study states that the crew working in the Food Service had the highest rate of reported positive cases of COVID-19.

Captain Gennaro Arma has finally returned home after three weeks spent in the port of Yokohama on the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess.

The disembarkation process of the crew from the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess has started today at the Port of Oakland, California. First to disembark are around 400 Filipino crew members and 6 passengers which will be repatriated home with a 747 charter flight scheduled to leave late Saturday afternoon. Two more charter flights are scheduled on Sunday, from SFO for the remaining foreign national passengers and non-essential crew aboard the Grand Princess.