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Could you have gotten across the border into Canada to take the flight? Non-essential travel is still not permitted and there is a 14 day quarantine requirement.

No one should get to excited about the EU Healthy Gateways report. It is not a regulatory agency and what they've provided are not "rules" but mere recommendations for member states. Individual countries can and will determine the terms under which ships and passengers land in their territory not the European Union.

Many of the people I've cruised with were Americans. When I look at the situation in America and the conduct of Americans particularly in the southern states there is no damn way I'd want to cruise with them. Even if there were protocols I would not rely on them to be followed. I would also not depart from a port in Florida or Texas.

Additionally the government of Canada has extended the 14 quarantine requirement for anyone entering the country to August 31. They take that quarantine very seriously. No going out at all unless it is for medical care. Violating the instructions can result in penalties up to a $750 thousand dollar fine and 6 months in prison.

Hardly comparable situations. No one died. Nevertheless, Carnival was ordered to pay damages although they were modest. Courts regard negligence leading to illness and death more seriously than a few days of inconvenience.

Exposure times are far less on a flight compared to thousands of people crammed together on a boat for many days where the risk viral spread is significant higher. Also, quarantining people on an aircraft isn't possible and that plane has to land somewhere. Until which time there is a vaccine or the virus burns out anyone who takes a cruise needs to accept that a ship-board quarantine is a distinct possibility.

The cruise line would and should have had more information about the pandemic than a passenger just as the cruise line knows more about the anticipated sea conditions, passport requirements and ship operations than I would. Secondly, the cruise lines are reported to have misled passengers about the seriousness of the virus and were unwilling to refund fares for people on early March bookings who expressed concerns thereby creating a significant financial incentive not to cancel.

These rules don't seem unreasonable. The people who object to them are probably the people the Bahamas prefers to keep out in the first place. Those people can go to Florida or Texas instead if they care so little about protecting others from the virus.

Even in high outbreak areas like Texas and Florida the authorities would not want to add more positive cases to an already growing problem. If a passenger or crew member tested positive the prudent course for people on shore is to quarantine the ship . There is no reason for them to accommodate a boatload of potentially infected people who took the risk of cruising during an active pandemic.

Cruise lines will still wooing passengers with lies, denying refunds and setting sail on month-long cruises in early March weeks after the Diamond Princess went into quarantine. "Force Majeure" is a weak defense when the "Force" was known about over a month in advance.

It's not "anecdotal" but "empirical" evidence. 😉 It also aligns with my own experiences off the beaten path. Americans and, to a degree, Canadians are big fans of the packaged tours on buses and cruises and you encounter them less often outside of urban centers.

The cruise lines don't get a free pass. They need to be held to account for any actions and oversights that may have contributed to the deaths of passengers or crew for whom they are responsible. Norwegian agents were down playing the virus with false claims to prevent cancellations. HAL and Princess thought March 7th (Zaandam) and 5th (Coral Princess) respectively were good dates to embark on a month long cruises weeks after the Diamond Princess went into quarantine and as nations were beginning to impose travel restrictions. The conduct of the cruise lines suggests they put dollars ahead of passenger safety and people died as a result. It is entirely appropriate they get brought into a courtroom to explain themselves.

Technically correct. It is not chronic obesity that is contributing to the explosion of new COVID19 cases in America. It is chronic stupidity.

While it is possible the EU would accept Canadians before Americans it would be somewhat politically awkward for our government to reciprocate before the Canada-US border is opened to tourists.

Across the border in Canada we are testing more and new cases are dropping. Meanwhile, in many U.S. states new cases are growing. The testing argument that if you test less you'll get fewer new cases is beyond stupid. It's like me saying I've stopped gaining weight because I no longer weigh myself. I'll just ignore the tight clothes and America can just ignore the overflowing hospital ICUs and morgues.