Medical evacuations delay Celebrity cruise

Two passengers on the Celebrity Mercury 15-night Hawaii cruise fell seriously ill on Saturday, forcing the ship to return to Hawaii so the passengers could receive urgent medical treatment. This delay caused by returning to Hawaii will mean the cruise ship arriving in San Diego one day late, on November 7, and that the cruise scheduled to depart from San Diego on November 6 will depart one day late as well.

At the time the passengers were taken ill, the cruise ship was on route to Ensenada, Mexico, according to a spokesperson for the cruise line. The spokesperson added that the passengers became sick independently and that the norovirus was not the cause in either case. The ship had not reached the half-way point to Ensenada, but was quite a distance from Hawaii, so the diversion took some time.

An evacuation by helicopter was not an option, according to the cruise operator, as by the time the ship was close enough to Hawaii for this to be feasible, it was too dark for this to be done safely. The ship had to make its way back to the Hawaiian port, where the two passengers were transferred to a hospital on shore.

To avoid further delays to the next cruise scheduled, Celebrity Mercury is heading directly to San Diego. The operator may be fined for failing to stop in Ensenada, as the stop is required for compliance with the Passenger Vessel Services Act. Celebrity decided, however, that its best course of action was to have the ship return to its San Diego base as soon as possible and risk the possibility of being penalized.

www.celebritycruises.com