Dozens of would-be cruisers were left on the dock in Mobile in mid-March 2020 after Carnival Cruise Line rolled out stricter health screening rules tied to the coronavirus outbreak, blocking guests with certain chronic conditions from sailing.
The Carnival Fantasy finally departed the Alabama Cruise Terminal after midnight Friday, delayed for hours by fog. But some travelers — many of whom had flown in from other states — learned late in the evening that they would not be allowed to board at all.
‘They tagged 80 passengers’
Ashley Maynor, who traveled from Illinois with a group of six to sail out of Mobile, said her party was not informed until about 9:30 p.m. that four members could not cruise because one person in the group had diabetes, a condition now covered by the new rules. She said the group waited roughly seven hours before being provided a hotel room, and that two relatives who did board tried unsuccessfully to get off the ship because of long lines at guest services.
“We did typical protocol, got our luggage out, went through security, everything was good to go,” Maynor said. “Come to find out that they tagged 80 passengers on the boat and they knew from this morning or yesterday morning that those passengers were not going to be allowed to board.”
New fleetwide screening questions
In a statement, Carnival confirmed it had added new questions to the health screening form completed by all embarking guests fleetwide, consistent with industry discussions with federal officials. Guests are now asked whether they are 70 or older, have been hospitalized in the past two months, or have a history of chronic or severe medical conditions such as diabetes, heart, kidney or lung disease. The line said guests with chronic or severe conditions would not be allowed to sail, and that for that weekend’s departures, guests 70 and older needed a physician’s letter confirming they were fit to travel.
“We apologize for the disappointment of our guests,” the statement read. “These are extraordinary times and the requirements placed on us are changing by the hour and advance notice isn’t always possible.”
Maynor said she understood why Carnival made the changes but felt there should have been more notice before the policy took effect. Instead of a voyage to Mexico, her group headed back home to Illinois.