cruise ship medical negligence Tag Archives

Published on: May 7, 2025

Royal Caribbean Set to Purchase Resort in Bahamas. What to Know.

Royal Caribbean has been given the greenlight to buy a 40-acre property that has sat dormant since 2011, according to Cruise News Today.

The Bahamian government authorized the cruise lines to purchase the Xanadu Beach Resort south of Freeport as part of a $348 million project. The companies plan to update the site and turn it into an “entertainment center” for passengers. The property – once the epicenter of grandeur and a playground for some of Hollywood’s elite –has been empty and on the market since at least 2011.

The project contributes to the growing cruising presence in the area, joining Carnival Celebration Key – another resort scheduled to open in summer 2025. These expansions are emblematic of a boom in the cruise sector, which has made an impressive recovery following the industry-wide shut down during the pandemic.

Published on: May 7, 2025

Health Officials Warn of a New Strain of Norovirus Following Three Recent Outbreaks on Cruise Ships

By Leesfield & Partners

Over a hundred passengers and dozens of crew members across three cruise ships reported symptoms of norovirus as health officials warned of new strain.

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control have warned about a “newly dominant strain” of norovirus, which they said could be driving the uptick in recent cases seen on land and on cruise ships. This comes after significant cuts to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program’s (VSP) workforce last month. These employees were tasked with investigating outbreaks and conducting routine health inspections on cruise ships before their dismissals, which were a part of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plan to issue layoffs to public health agency employees.

Following these cuts, CDC officials called the move “frustrating” and has exacerbated the already taxing issue of being short-staffed. When the news first broke of the layoffs, the agency was already in the middle of responding to two outbreaks.

Published on: November 15, 2024

Photos Show Fallout of Bad Weather Damage to Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship

By Leesfield & Partners

Photos were published online of the damage to a cruise ship that was hit by storm-force winds while sailing from Spain to Miami.

The frightening voyage resulted in the injury of at least one passenger who will be allowed to evacuate the ship for additional medical care on shore in Las Palmas, Spain. No other details, including the condition of the passenger, were immediately available Wednesday.

Passengers reported to CBS news that their captain said over the ship’s intercom speakers that the ship was impacted by winds that had gone from 46 mph to over 80 mph.

Published on: November 15, 2024

Cruise Ship Passenger Evacuated Amid Medical Crisis. Here’s What You Need to Know About Most Cruise Lines.

By Leesfield & Partners

A cruise passenger recently experienced a medical crisis and was successfully evacuated. However, in the experience of Leesfield & Partners, such evacuations are not always granted. When they are denied, it often results in serious harm to the passenger’s health.

One reason a cruise ship might deny a passenger a medical evacuation is because evacuations often result in a delayed voyage, which impacts their passengers’ traveling plans and their own schedules. Thankfully, the 69-year-old woman at the center of the recent incident was able to seek additional and potentially life-saving medical attention thanks to the evacuation.

The woman was taken by helicopter from her Carnival Cruise Lines ship to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was accompanied by her spouse and one staffer from the on board medical team, according to reporting from a national news outlet. Once there, local emergency responders transported her to Centro Médico Hospital.