Yesterday, USA and Canadian senior government health officials made a blanket statement, warning  against traveling on cruise ships.   Following the appearance of the COVID-19 virus first on the Diamond Princess in Japan, and more recently on the Grand Princess in California, it has become clear that these ships can be risky places for the spread of the virus.  

The reasons cited by these officials include:

• The large number of passengers on board
• The large number of staff on board
• Their combined wide range of nationalities and travel histories

 

Mega cruise ships vs Galapagos expedition ship

SHIP NAME	LENGTH (feet / meters)	# Passengers	# Crew	# people on board
Grand Princess	952 / 290	3,100	1,100	4,200
Diamond Princess	951 / 290	2,670	1,100	3,770
Samba	78 / 24	14	6	20
Grace	145 / 44	20	9	29

These are very large ships indeed!

With perhaps more than 50 nationalities represented on board, and with the undoubtedly varied recent travel histories, it is not surprising that, among the approximately 4,000 people on board, some may have been exposed to the virus.  

Galapagos ships are not in the same league as the mega cruise ships

In comparison, of the 65 ships that ply Galapagos waters, 55 carry 20 or fewer passengers.  Of the remaining 10 ships, 3 carry 100 passengers, and the others carry 32 to 48 passengers.   The majority of people taking a cruise in Galapagos are from the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia. 

Staff working on Galapagos ships either live in Galapagos or on the mainland.  All naturalist guides certified in the past 20 years must be Galapagos residents.    

For these reasons, the risks associated with the large “mega” cruise ships are orders of magnitude greater than those associated with a small, locally owned and operated Galapagos expedition ship.  

While CNH Tours cannot say that travel is risk free, we continue to be confident that a Galapagos cruise remains a safe bet for your trip of a lifetime.