Delayed cruise ship finally docks at Florida port after negative coronavirus tests
PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. - Thousands on board the "Regal Princess" were happy to return back to land after the ship’s arrival time was delayed by coronavirus concerns.
The Regal Princess cruise ship was supposed to have docked Sunday morning at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, but instead, it sailed up and down the coast for hours. There was a concern that two crew members had been on another ship a couple of weeks ago where nearly two dozen people have tested positive for the virus.
The cruise line said the crew members had no symptoms consistent with COVID-19, and were beyond the 14-day incubation period for the illness.
The U.S. Coast Guard delivered testing kits to the ship Sunday morning. By night, the Regal Princess received the go-ahead to dock at Port Everglades after the results came back negative.
After the ship docked, passengers stood on their balconies as they waited to disembark, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported from scene. The first passengers were let off about an hour after the ship pulled into port.
"The crew was wonderful," Elizabeth Goetsch, of Wisconsin, told the Fort Lauderdale paper. "I wasn’t really worried about the health issues because they encouraged us and they calmed us."
Penny Sitz, of Minnesota, was on her first cruise and echoed the praise for the "fantastic" staff members, saying they were constantly cleaning and "making us wash our hands all the time."
Guests in need of hotel rooms would be allowed to reboard the ship for the night, the statement said, and compensation for "unexpected expenses" would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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