A Dutch-flagged cruise ship, MV Hondius, carrying nearly 150 people remains off Cape Verde after three passengers died and several others fell seriously ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak. French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak.
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Conflicting advice makes it hard to knowA look at major Ebola outbreaks and when the disease was first identifiedTech CEOs summoned to Congress for another hearing on social media's risks for childrenSuch great heights: They're tall, they're proud — and they're getting togetherJourney of a lifetime: A US teen Buddhist lama is now a monk studying in the Himalayan foothillsJuez declara juicio nulo a Harvey Weinstein tras desacuerdo del juradoThe Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, a cruise ship carrying nearly 150 people remains off Cape Verde on Monday, May 4, 2026 after three passengers died and several others fell seriously ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak.
Passengers and crew at the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius after arriving at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026. People walk past the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
A barrier is set in front of the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, a cruise ship carrying nearly 150 people remains off Cape Verde on Monday, May 4, 2026 after three passengers died and several others fell seriously ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak.
The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, a cruise ship carrying nearly 150 people remains off Cape Verde on Monday, May 4, 2026 after three passengers died and several others fell seriously ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak. Passengers and crew at the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius after arriving at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026.
Passengers and crew at the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius after arriving at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026. People walk past the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
People walk past the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. A barrier is set in front of the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
A barrier is set in front of the British cruise ship Ambition, as French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to stay on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. and norovirus on cruise ships are making headlines, but they’re unlikely to dim the growing popularity of vacation cruises, according to industry representatives and travel experts.
In fact, many within the industry still expect a record number of people worldwide to take cruises this year despite three passengers aboard the MV Hondius dying from “The cruise consumer seems to be somewhat Teflon when it comes to stories like this,” said Rob Kwortnik, an associate professor at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration who closely watches the cruise industry. , estimated that 38.3 million people would travel on ocean-going ships this year, 4% more from a record 37.2 million passengers last year.
, the trade association said it doesn’t comment or speculate on bookings. Several big cruise companies didn’t respond to questions from The Associated Press about customer demand, including Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival. Veteran cruisegoers said the outbreak would not affect their plans.
“I have eight cruises booked, and I’ll absolutely be booking another,” said Jenni Fielding, who blogs and posts social media videos about cruise trips under the moniker Cruise Mummy. “Cruising is as safe as any other type of holiday, provided travelers follow sensible health advice and stay aware of official guidance. ”“The average traveler understands that this is an isolated health situation and not something unique to cruise travel itself,” Eddy said.
CruiseCompete.com, an online marketplace where consumers making vacation plans can compare offers from travel agents, booked 31.7% more cabins in the first half of May compared to the same period last year, CEO Bob Levinstein said. — an extremely contagious stomach bug that thrives in crowded environments — is conflated with cruises in the minds of many Americans because the U.S.On a ship with 5,000 passengers, an illness impacting 3% of them “goes completely unnoticed by the vast majority of vacationers, and experienced cruisers know this,” he said.
Current news cycles rarely impact passengers’ decisions to join a cruise because the trips generally are booked at least 6 months — and often as much as a year – in advance, Kwortnik said. During a conference call Thursday with investors, Switzerland-based cruise line Viking said demand for its river cruises softened briefly during the first three months of this year after the Iran war began but then quickly rebounded.
Viking said 92% of its 2026 cruises and 38% of its 2027 cruises were booked. The company didn’t mention hantavirus or norovirus. Andrew Coggins, a cruise industry analyst and professor in Pace University’s Lubin School of Business, said even if travelers set to embark on a cruise soon are unnerved by the latest news, they’re unlikely to get a refund.
“I think if there’s any impact on demand, it would be in the long term. If you’re cruising in the next few months, you’re past the point at which you can get your money back,” he said. The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the cruise industry, shutting down many smaller operators. Cruises didn’t see an upswing in passengers again until 2022, Coggins said.
There are still fewer cruise passengers from China and Japan than there were before COVID, according to CLIA. But Coggins said demand elsewhere is booming.
“There are new ships on order out to 2037. The cruise lines are bullish. They see demand growing and they want to offer new bells and whistles, new ports, new destinations,” he said. One reason for cruising’s growth is broad appeal across generations and income levels.
In a recent U.S. survey, Bank of America found that Generation Z respondents and millennials were the most likely to say they planned to cruise over the next 12 months. The survey also found that cruise spending rose for lower-income households even as those households spent less on airfare and lodging. Cruise lines have been wooing those passengers in recent years with shorter, more affordable itineraries.
“On average, it costs more just to stay at a hotel in Miami than it does to sail on a cruise out of Miami – and the cruise includes lodging, multiple destinations, food, entertainment, and transportation all in the fare,” he said. Durbin is an Associated Press business writer focusing on the food and beverage industry. She has also covered the auto industry and state and national politics in her nearly 30-year career with the AP.
Anderson reports for The Associated Press on a wide range of issues that small businesses face. She is based in New York.
MV Hondius Hantavirus Outbreak Stranded Off Cape Verde Cruise Ship Nearly 150 People French Authorities Cruise German Cruise Operator DHL Cruise Picked Up Near Amsterdam Detour To Tenerife Port Of Granadilla
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