The Walt Disney Company faces another PR disaster, as many cast members from a recent Disney Wonder cruise have contracted COVID-19. According to Cruise Law News, 38 workers on the ship have caught the infectious Coronavirus.
The news comes straight from the ship’s captain, who revealed the information over the Disney Wonder’s intercom system. Cast members relayed details to Cruise Law News but would not provide their names for fear of job punishment.
This particular Disney Wonder trip, which ended in San Diego, became something of an infamous debacle in cruise circles. According to the Disney Cruise Line Blog, the ship set sail on March 6th and was scheduled to return on March 20th. Disney cut it one day short due to the poor optics of the cruise remaining at sea.
In fact, the Cruise Lines International Association voluntarily suspended all cruise ship operations on March 14th. So, the Disney Wonder faced five days with no good options and a bunch of finger-pointing. Of course, the itinerary called for the cruise to spend those days at sea anyway.
There’s conflicting information about whether the passengers missed any scheduled stops. However, the most reliable sources state that the Disney Wonder never made any of them. So, passengers stayed on the ship for 13 consecutive days.
Disney had come under fire for its decision to run cruises as Coronavirus concerns spread. USA Today noted that after the company had ordered the suspension of business, one cruise still set sail. It was a bad look, especially in the wake of the press release indicating that Disney was showing “an abundance of caution” toward its guests.
Keeping Cast Members safe
Sadly, those same precautions didn’t apply to the cast members on board. When the Disney Wonder arrived in San Diego, Disney informed port authorities that no passengers showed signs of COVID-19.
Health officials have since confirmed that multiple passengers, customers and crew alike, have since developed symptoms. A few days later, the situation looks that much bleaker with the current report about 38 ill cast members.
Interestingly, a member of the city council for Fort Myers, Florida, was a passenger on this cruise. During a March 16th interview, he relayed details of Disney’s tactics for protecting guests on the Disney Wonder. Most of what he describes places the onus on cast members to take all the risks.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the story comes later in the Cruise Law News article. The author states:
“All of the crew members who subsequently contacted me complain that they are under strict instructions from Disney not to speak to the media or post information like this on social media.”
This statement comes on the heels of a Mississippi woman claiming that she had COVID-19 while participating in a different Disney cruise. Disney officials have flatly denied knowing about this woman’s illness, though.
To be fair, Disney has handled several aspects of the pandemic well. California governor, Gavin Newsom, personally praised the company for agreeing to close Disneyland. Disney led by example here, empowering other businesses in the theme park industry to follow suit.
Unfortunately, Disney tried to squeeze a few more dollars out of its cruise business. Its loyal employees have apparently suffered because of it.
