Disney delays test cruise following inconsistent Covid-19 results

Walt Disney Company postponed its first test cruise since the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic after Covid-19 tests came back with inconsistent results for five crew members, the company said on Monday.

Several cruise lines have planned to resume voyages from the US after many months. Last weekend, Royal Caribbean's Celebrity Edge became the first vessel from a major operator to sail from a US port.

FILE PHOTO: Workers stand on the deck of the newly built cruise ship "Disney Dream" as it leaves the covered building dock at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg October 30, 2010. The 340 metre long cruiseliner has cabins for about 4,000 passengers. According to the shipyard, the Disney Dream, built for Disney Cruise Line is the largest cruiseliner ever built in Germany and one of the largest cruiseliners in the world. REUTERS/Christian Charisius/File Photo — The ‘Disney Dream’ cruise ship 340 metres long, cabins for about 4,000 passengers. Reuters

The Disney Dream was scheduled to set sail on Tuesday. A Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said routine Covid-19 testing came back with positive results for five of nearly 600 crew members.

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All of the five were asymptomatic, had been vaccinated and had tested negative "several times before", the spokesperson said. They were tested the day after the positive result, by the same lab, and found to be negative, the spokesperson said.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention treats the results as positive, which prompted the cancellation of the test cruise, Disney said. The company did not say when a new sailing would be scheduled.

Royal Caribbean executive Michael Bayley last week said two unvaccinated teenagers tested positive on its Adventure of the Seas ship. The company also said that 92 per cent of guests were fully vaccinated.

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press

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